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Sciences 
Corporation 


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33  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVI/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Inatltuta  for  Hiatof ical  MIcroraproductiona  /  Inatltut  Canadian  da  microfaproductlona  hittoriquaa 


/ 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notas/Notat  tachniquaa  at  bibliographiquaa 


Tha  Instituta  haa  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  baat 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Faaturaa  of  thia 
copy  which  may  ba  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  altar  any  of  the  imagea  in  tha 
reproduction,  or  which  may  aignificantiy  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


0. 


F~|   Covers  damaged/ 


D 


D 
D 


D 


Couverture  endommagte 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurAe  et/ou  pelliculAe 


|~n   Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartas  giographiques  an  couleur 


□   Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

I      I   Coloured  platas  and/or  iiluatrations/ 


D 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
RaliA  avac  d'autras  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  Interior  margin/ 

La  raliure  serrAe  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
diatortion  la  long  de  la  marge  intirieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  tha  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  qua  certaines  pages  blanches  aJoutAas 
lors  d'une  rastauration  apparaissent  dans  la  taxte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  Atait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  AtA  filmias. 

Additional  comments:/ 

Commentairas  suppltmantairas:  ^ 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  la  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  At  A  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
da  cat  exemplaire  qui  aont  paut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibiiographiqua,  qui  pauvent  modifier 
une  Mrtage  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dana  la  mAthoda  norrnala  de  filmaga 
sont  indiquAs  ci-dessous. 


r~n   Coloured  pagea/ 


D 
D 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pagea  andommagAea 

Pagea  reatorad  and/oi 

Pagea  reataurAea  et/ou  pelliculAes 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxa< 
Pages  dAcolorAes,  tachatAea  ou  piquAes 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  dAtachAes 

Showthroughy 
Tranaparence 

Quality  of  prir 

QualitA  InAgala  de  i'impression 

Includes  supplementary  matarii 
Comprend  du  matArial  supplAmentaire 


r~~i  Pages  damaged/ 

r^  Pagea  reatorad  and/or  laminated/ 

I — I  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

I     I  Pages  detached/ 

I      I  Showthrough/ 

I     I  Quality  of  print  variaa/ 

r~n  Includes  supplementary  material/ 


Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Adition  diaponible    : 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissuaa,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  baat  poaaibia  image/ 
Les  pagea  totalament  ou  partiellement 
obacurcias  par  un  fauillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  AtA  filmAes  A  nouveau  de  fapon  A 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  poaaibia. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  tha  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ca  document  est  filmA  au  taux  de  rAduction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


16X 


20X 


i 


26X 


30X 


28X 


n 

32X 


• 

Mails 
•  du 
lodlfiar 
r  un« 
Image 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Library  of  Congress 
Photoduplication  Service 

The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


L'exemplaire  fiimA  fut  reproduit  grAce  A  la 
g^nArositA  de: 

Library  of  Congress 
Photoduplication  Service 

Les  images  suivantes  ont  At6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin.  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettet6  de  l'exemplaire  film6.  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 


es 


Original  copies  In  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  Illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimis  sont  filmte  en  commen^ant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustratlon,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmte  en  commenpant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — »>  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboies  suivants  apparaftra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — ►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 


re 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
filmte  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diffArents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichA,  11  est  filmA  A  partir 
de  I'angle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthode. 


i  errata 
id  to 

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ie  pelure, 

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3 

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■i«ft 


A  TRIP  TO  THE  KLONDIKE 


THROUGH  THE 


STEREOSCOPE. 


From  Chicago,  ni.,  to  St.  Michaels,  Alaska,  During 

that  Marvelous  Qrusack  in  1897-8  to  the 

GoU  Fields  of  AlaiBka. 


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NOTES  ON  THE  TOUR 
MR.  JOHN  P.  CLUM. 

Chttf  of  DhrWoo  ol  Po^oifiM  IiuiMeton,  l^Maifie*  DcpMtmtnt. 


PUBLISHED  BY  THB  KEYSTONE  VIEW  COMPANY. 

MMdviH*.  Piu  St.  toult.  Mo. 

Oakland,  Cal. 


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WCONDCOPY. 


38724 

CopyrlKht  1899  by  Keystone  View  Co. 

rwo  oof^wi  necElvEO, 


Press  of  McCoy  ft  Calvin, 
Meadvllto.  Pa. 


PRJ^ACA, 

In  this  booklet  we  have  the  work  not  only  of  a  student 
and  lover  of  Nature,  but  of  one  who  has  seen  and  felt  the 
beauty  and  grandeur  he  describes.  Mr.  John  P.  Clum,  of 
Washington,  D.  C,  the  author  of  this  booklet,  had  the 
good  fortune  to  be  delegated  by.  the  Postal  authorities  as 
representative  of  the  United  States  to  establish  the  govern- 
ment postal  system  in  Alaska. 

In  the  Spring  of  1898,  with  an  assistant,  Mr.  Clum 
joined  the  eager  throng  that  moved  toward  Alaska  and 
the  Klondike.  He  spent  over  six  months  in  Alaska,  trav- 
eled more  than  seven  thousand  miles,  and  made  a  careful 
study  of  the  country,  its  resources,  topography  and  scenery. 
>yith  the  quick  perception  of  a  close  observer,  he  gath- 
eried  the  intere3ting  and  novel  sights  and  experiences  to 
be  seen  and  heard  along  the  route,  and  with  care  and 
literary  skill  he  has  here  described  our  Alaskan  series  of 
Stereo-photographs,  and  has  vividly  told  the  story  of 
the  trail  and  camp. 

It  so  happened  that  our  photographer  and  Mr.  Clum 
visited  Alaska  at  the  same  time.  They  journeyed  to  the 
West  and  together  took  passage  on  the  good  steamer 
"Queen"  for  the  "New  El  Dorado."  On  this  trip  our 
photographer,  with  an  artist's  skill,  caught  with  his  camera 
the  scenic  life  and  struggle  of  the  Klondiker,  as  well  as  the 
beauty  and  scenery  of  that  new  latid.  Thus  we  have  pre- 
served the  pictured  story  of  a  movement  such  as  had 
never  been  witnessed  before,  and  one  which  will  never  be 
seen  again,  for  there  will  not  be  another  throng  that  will 
move  in  lock-step  over  the  famous  Chilkoot  Pass  to  the 
Klondike.  Thus  while  our  photographer  cau^t  the 
scenic  story  of  this  rush  to  the  land  of  gold,  Mr.  Gum,  an 
actor  and  participant  in  the  drama,  caught  and  preserved 
the  story  of  the  life  and  struggle  and  trials  of  this  coura- 
geous band,  and  here  in  the  story  and  views  we  have  the 
two  brought  together  for  the  edification  and  benefit  of 
those  who  would  enjoy  a  trip  to  the  Klondike  without  its 
hardships  and  trials. 

Keystone  View  Company. 


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INTRODUCTION. 

As  a  means  of  liberal  education  and  healthful  recrea- 
tion, no  tour  of  equal  length  could  be  more  desirable  than 
that  from  the  Atlantic  seaboard  to  the  ports  of  Southeast- 
ern Alaska.  A  most  extraordinary  panorama  is  thus  pre- 
sented. The  masterful  enterprises  of  American  energy  and 
genius  which  have  developed  our  great  commercial  centers ; 
the  grand  sweeping  prairies,  rolling  plains  and  ample  val- 
leys of  the  middle  West  and  the  ever-changing  glories  of 
the  Rockies,  Sierras  and  Cascades,  all  furnish  interest, 
beauty  and  grandeur  which  satisfy  but  never  satiate. 

As  the  tourist  enters  Alaskan  waters  new  scenic  won- 
ders greet  the  vision.  The  lofty  and  shimmering  summits 
of  snow  and  the  mighty  rivers  of  the  ice  with  their  glisten- 
ing cascades,  present  a  spectacle  unsurpassed  in  the  majesty 
of  its  grandeur. 

The  Instigation. 

When  the  steamer  "  Excelsior "  sailed  into  the  har- 
bor of  San  Francisco  in  the  summer  of  1897,  bringing 
nearly  one  million  dollars  in  gold  that  had  been  wrested 
from  the  streams  of  the  Klondike  country,  and  the  press 
dispatches  announced  the  phenomenally  rich  discoveries  of 
the  royal  metal  that  had  been  made  on  the  Yukon  River  and 
its  tributaries,  the  eyes  of  the  civilized  world  were  turped 
toward  Alaska.  The  news  inaugurated  an  exodus  toward 
the  gold  fields  without  parallel  in  the  annals  of  history  ;  in 
fact  the  "  yellow  fever '•'  became  epidemic  throughout  the 
United  States,  and  a  majority  of  the  members  of  6ur  ftarty 
were  among  those  most  seriously  afflicted  with  this  dis- 
ease. 

In  accordance  with  a  prearranged  plan  we  assembled  at 
Chicago,  the  great  metropolis  of  the  middle  West,  which, 
though  little  more  than  a  half  century  old,  has  a  population 
of  nearly  two  million,  and  has  justly  earned  its  designation 
as  "the  magic  city."  The  marvelous  strength  and  almost 
inexhaustible  resources  of  this  young  giant  were  demon- 
strated by  the  energy  and  genius  displayed  in  the  manage- 


6  A  TRIP  TO  THE  GOLD  riELDS  OP  ALASKA 

ment  of  the  Columbian  Exposition,  and  its  phenomenal 
growth  affords  reasonable  justification  for  the  claim  that 
Chicago  is  soon  to  be  the  world's  greatest  city,  her 
landscape  decorations  have  made  the  boulevards  and  parks 
of  Chicago  famous  throughout  the  world,  while  the  subjects 
of  literature  and  art  have  been  most  generously  provided 
lor. 

No.  I. 

State  Street^  Chicago^  m. 

One  of  the  main  thoroughfares  of  Chicago  is  State 
street,  where  we  mingled  with  the  surging  throng  and  list- 
ened to  the  babel  of  sound.  Striking  evidences  of  the  ad- 
vanced ideas  of  the  ct-n.;ury  are  visible  on  every  hand. 
Each  available  invention  has  been  applied  to  its  particular 
use.  The  rapid  transit  lines  have  virtually  drawn  the  many 
delightful  suburbs  near  to  the  great  commercial  heart  of 
the  city.  Architecture  has  reared  its  lofty,  attractive  and 
enduring  monuments,  one  ot  which,  the  Masonic  Temple, 
twenty-three  stories  in  height,  appears  in  this  view. 

No.  2. 

Bird's  Eye  View  of  Chicago,  HL 

Escaping  from  the  busy  mart  we  ascended  the  tower  of 
the  Auditorium,  where  there  was  presented  to  our  vision  a 
magnificent  and  inspiring  panorama  of  this  great  city,  a 
portion  of  which  is  included  in  tWs  view.  We  can  scarcely 
realize  that  this  solid  mass  of  substantial  and  lofty  build- 
ings has  risen  from  the  ashes  of  the  great  fire  of  1871. 
In  the  foreground  we  observe  the  great  "loop"  of  the 
elevated  railway,  around  which  all  trains  of  the  elevated  roads 
pass  on  their  way  to  and  from  the  city's  center. 

No.  3.  . 

Texas  Gtttle»  Union  Stock  Yards,  Chicago,  lU* 

It  is  fair  to  state  that  Chicago  contains  the  "world's 
butcher  shop,"  and  nowhere  else  can  we  find  such  an  ex- 
tensive live  stock  market.  Here  are  truly  gathered  the 
cattle  from  "a  thousand  hills,"  as  well  as  from  the  vast 
prairies  and  plains  and  mesas  of  the  West  and  Southwest. 
In  this  view  we  see  a  section  of  a  herd  of  long  horned 


I 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE.  7 

Texas  steers  which  have  but  recently  arrived  from  the  Lone 
Star  State.  In  the  great  packing  houses  of  Chicago  thou- 
SJinds  of  cattle  are  slaughtered  daily,  and  this  enormous 
meat  product  is  jhipped  in  various  form  to  the  Centers  of 
civilization  in  all  parts  of  the  globe. 

No.  4. 
Cooling:  Room,  Armour's  Packingf  Houic»  Chic*go»  HL 

It  was  not  until  we  had  been  admitted  to  the  interior  of 
one  of  these  stupendous  slaughtering  and  meat-packing 
establishments  that  we  obtained  a  comprehensive  idea  of  the 
vast  proportions  of  this  enterprise.  Whije  looking  down 
between  these  rows  of  slaughtered  swine  one  of  our  party 
aptly  remarked,  "a  mile  of  pork"  ;  and,  indeed,  he  might 
have  said  truthfully  "  miles  of  pork."  In  this  cooling  room 
there  were  not  two,  but  two  hundred  of  these  rows,  and 
there  are  several  cooling  rooms  of  equal  capacity.  Then 
we  passed  through  the  spacious  cooling  rooms  for  beef, 
mutton  and  veal,  which  represented  the  plant  and  capacity 
of  but  a  single  company.  When  we  remembered  that  there 
were  nearly  two  score  of  these  vast  meat  packing  establish- 
ments in  Chicago  we  began  to  realize  the  enormity  of  their 
product,  and  felt  confident  that  we  should  find  some  of  these 
distributed  along  the  course  of  our  contemplated  tour 
through  Alaska. 

No.  5. 
The  Lake,  Garfield  Park,  Chicago,  HL 

Wearied  with  the  contemplation  of  the  magnitude  of  the 
city's  enormous  commercial  enterprises  and  the  scenes  in 
the  midst  of  the  jostling  throngs  on  her  great  thorough- 
fares, we  gladly  availed  ourselves  of  an  opportunity  to  visit 
one  of  her  famous  pleasure  resorts, — Garfield  Park.  Here 
nature  and  art  have  been  combined  to  afiord  restful  recrea- 
tion to  the  city's  populace.  Here  are  pleasant  drives, 
shaded  walks,  groves  with  cosy  nooks,  and  a  beautiful  lake 
where  those  who  love  the  water  will  find  a  variety  of  small 
boats  at  their  disposal  in  which  they  may  traverse  the 
placid  bosom  of  the  lake  and  thoroughly  enjoy  the  passing 
moments  while  listening  to  the  measured  stroke  of  the 
sturdy  oarsman,  or,  perchance,  the  echoes  of  some  sweet 


J 


i... :._.. 


"i 


B  A  TRIP  TO  THE  OOLD  riRLDS  OK  ALAIKA 

song  wafted  over  the  wateni  on  the  wings  of  a  cooling 
zephyr. 

No.  6. 

FbWer  Beds,  Lincoln  Park,  Chicago,  lU. 

In  naming  her  parks  Chicago  has  honored  some  of  our 
greatest  presidents,  and  from  the  charming  lake  in  Garfield 
Park  we  were  soon  transferred  to  one  of  those  fascinating 
vistas  to  be  met  with  in  Lincoln  Park.  In  this  view  the 
skill  of  the  artist  is  strikingly  demonstrated.  The  per- 
sjiective  is  extensive  and  wonderfully  clear,  while  the  out- 
lines of  the  landscape  decorations,  the  foliage,  and  every 
flower  and  shrub,  as  well  as  the  projected  shadows,  are  dis- 
tinct, producing  a  general  effect  that  is  most  realistic. 

No.  7. 

Drexel  Bjulevard,  Chicago,  IlL 

A  drive  down  Diexel  Boulevard  convinced  us  that  there 
are  few,  if  any,  more  delightful  highways  in  the  world. 
The  broad,  smooth  and  clean  roadway,  the  spacious  and 
well  shaded  walks,  the  artistic  arrangement  of  the  floral 
decorations  and  the  well-kept  parking  were  most  pleasing  to 
the  eye,  while  the  spacious  and  beautiful  homes  which  are 
ranged  on  either  side  of  the  avenue,  combined  to  produce  an 
exceedingly  attractive  pictu'e. 

No.  8. 

Grand  Stairway,  Public  Library,  Chicago,  HI. 

Before  leaving  Chicago  we  availed  ourselves  of  an  oppor- 
tunity to  visit  the  magnificent  new  peblic  library,  and  in 
this  view  we  have  a  representation  of  a  section  of  the  grand 
marble  stairway  t  the  main  entrance.  This  spacious  and 
substantial  building  with  its  sumptuous  marble  arches,  its 
statues,  paintings  and  sculptured  emblems,  illustrative  of 
science,  literature  and  art,  is  not  only  an  object  of  pride  to 
all  lovers  of  the  beautiful,  but  it  stands  as  an  enduring 
nionument  to  man's  most  masterful  skill  and  the  possibili- 
ties of  human  genius  and  endeavor.  The  majestic  and 
imposing  character  of  the  structure  throughout,  together 
with  its  vast  collection  of  literary  productions,  cannot  fail 
to  give  it  an  influence  in  the  elevation  and  refinement  of 
the  public  taste  which  will  be  both  potent  and  far  reaching. 


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THROUGH  THE  STKHeOBCOPI.  9 

I 

No.  9. 
Minnehahfi  Falls,  MinncsotA. 

On  leaving  Chicago  it  was  determined  that  our  party 
should  proceed  to  the  Pacific  Coast  by  way  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad,  and  although  there  are  many  points  of  inter- 
est and  beauty  to  which  reference  might  be  made,  we  have 
not  now  time  to  tarry  too  long  while  en  route  to  the  more 
thrilling  scenes  associated  with  the  tour  through  Alaska. 
However,  we  linger  for  a  glimpse  at  that  matchless  cascade, 
the  Falls  of  Minnehaha,  which  is  located  about  half  way 
between  Minneapolis  and  St.    Paul,  and  which  has  been 

fiven   undying    fame     in    Longfellow's    beautiful    poenn, 
liawatha. 

No.  10. 

Noon  Hour,  En  Route  to  the  Klondike,  Nortlarn  Pftcifie 

R.  R.  Gtr. 

At  the  time  of  our  departure  from  St.  Paul  the  crusade 
to  the  gold  fields  in  the  new  Northwest  was  at  its  height 
and  the  passenger  traffic  taxed  the  transportation  facilities 
of  the  various  railroad  companies  to  their  utmost.  This 
party  secured  accommodations  in  a  tourist  sleeper  and 
accomplished  the  journey  Westward  in  a  most  sociable  and 
satisfactory  manner.  Their  lunch  baskets  were  amgle  and 
had  been  supplied  with  a  carefully  selected  variety  of  the 
good  things  of  life.  In  this  view  we  have  a  snap  shot  of 
the  company  enjoying  a  midday  lunch  while  the  train  swept 
on  toward  the  Occident,  bringing  them  nearer  and  nearer  to 
the  new  El  Dorado,— that  goal  toward  which,  with  eager 
hope,  the  thoughts  of  all  were  turned. 

No.  II. 
Nfinenra  Terrace,  Yellowstone  Park. 

We  sped  on  across  the  vast  expanse  of  rolling  plains 
and  thenCe  into  the  mountains.  Our  next  stop  was  m  the 
very  heart  of  the  Rockies— Yellowstone  National  Park. 
Amid  all  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of  the  mountains  of  the 
great  West  the  YeUowstone  Park  contains  a  class  of  unique 
and  fascinating  wonders  which  are  ever  the  delight  and 
admiration  of  the  tourist.  Arriving  at  the  Mammoth  Hot 
Springs  Hotel  we  proceed  thence  to  view  these   scenic 


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lO 


A  TRIP  TO  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA 


curios.  First  are  the  Mammoth  Hot  Springs.  These  pre- 
sent a  charming  picture.  There  is  a  fascfnation  about  he 
graceful  symmetry  of  the  terraces  and  the  brilliancy  of  the 
colors  that  is  irresistible.  The  formations  about  these 
springs  cover  an  area  varying  from  a  few  yards  to  five 
acres,  and  some  of  the  terraces  are  from  40  to  60  feet  in 
height.  The  scene  here  represented  is  the  Minerva  Ter- 
race, whi'ch  covers  about  three-fourths  of  an  acre  and  is  40 
feet  in  height.  The  hot  spring  on  the  summit  is  20  feet  in 
diameter  with  a  temperature  of  154  degrees  Fahrenheit. 
These  springs  are  contained  within  walls  crystallized  from 
their  own  limpid  waters  and  the  deposits  resulting  from 
evaporation  on  the  margin  of  each  basin  are  most  exquisite 
in  both  form  and  color.  Each  bowl  is  beautifully  adorned 
with  honey-comb  patterns,  curious  carvings  and  lace  work 
effects,  while  the  spaces  between  the  curves  are  often  filled 
with  delicate  and  gleaming  stalactites  which  appear,  like 
dainty  icicles;  to  separate  each  ray  of  light  into  every 
hue  and  shade  obtainable  upon  the  artist's  palette. 

No.  12. 

,  Golden  Gate^  Yellowstohe  Park. 

San  Francisco  has  its  golden  gate  and  so  has  Yellow- 
stone Park.  Here  the  road  passes  thfough  a  canyon. 
We  see  it  in  this  picture  clinging  to  the  side  of  the  tower- 
ing cliff.  On  the, opposite  side  Bunsen  Peak  thrusts. its 
crest  still  higher  against  the  azure  blue.  The  vista  from 
the  Golden  Gate  is  one  of  the  glories  of  the  park. 

No.  13. 

01>si<iian  CIiffs»  Yellowstone  Park! 

The  Obsidian  Cliffs  are  a  curiosity  and  as  sucli  merit  our 
attention  and  interest.  They  rise  black,  jagged,  bold  and 
glaring  to  a  height  of  200  feet  above  the  surface  of  Beaver 
Lake,  which  nesdes  at  their  base.  The  Obsidian  Cliffs 
were  of  great  value  to  the  ancient  Indian  arrow-maker, 
who,  the  poet  declares,  was  wont  to  make 

' '  His  arrow-heads  of  sandstone ; 
Arrow-heads  of  chalcedony ; 
Arrow-heads  of  fiint  and  jasper  ; 
Smoothed  and  sharpened  at  the  edges ; 
Hard  and  polished,  keen  and  costly." 


IIJIB" 


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;H^»aj 


TrtROUOtt  Tftt  SfKRftOSCOPK. 


tt 


And  so  hard  is  this  natural  glass  that  the  patient  arrow- 
maker  was  often  days  in  shaping  a  single  ''  polished,  keen 
and  costly"  arrow-head.  The  road  winds  around  these 
cliffs  for  nearly  a  half  a  mile  and  is  probably  the  only  road- 
bed of  glass  in  the  world.  I  n  the  construction  of  the  road 
the  engineers  found  their  way  obstructed  by  huge  boulders 
of  glass.  Around  these  great  fires  were  built  and  when 
thoroughly  heated,  cold  water  from  the  lake  was  dashed 
upon  them  and  they  were  thus  shattered  mto  fragments  by 
natural  forces. 

No.  14. 
Oor  Party,  Yellowstone  Park. 
The  park  affords  ample  opportunity  for  a  choice  of  cosy 
and  picturesque  camping  grounds,  and  at  the  end  of  our  first 
day's  journey  through  this  wonderland  we  halted  in  the 
edge  of  the  forest  and  pitched  our  tents  for  the  night 
Camp  life  inthe  park  is  most  delightful  and  will  always  be 
thoroughly  enjoyed  by  those  tourists  who  have  the  time  and 
opportSnity  for  viewing  the  park  '"  .f'ho'-ough  and  leis- 
urely manner.     Although  all  of  the  wild  animals  which  are 
native  of  this  section  of  the  Rockies  are  now  protected 
within  the  limits  of  the  park,  even  the  dreams  of  the  most 
timid  are  seldom  disturbed  by  any  fear  of  danger  from 
these  beasts  of  the  forest. 

No.  15. 
Paint  Pots,  Yellowstone  Park. 
We  next  .^topped  on  our  journey  to  view  the  Paint  Pots 
which  we  found  on  one  side  of  the  road-way  and  extending 
Tver  a  considerable  area.     The  spectacle  presented  by  th^e 
was  more  strange  and  weird  than  attractive.     The  POts 
consist  of  small  holes  in  the  crusty  formation  whichare 
constantly  emitting  more  or  less  vapor  and  withm  which  is 
a  marine  mass  of  highly-colored  earthy  substance,  which, 
by^S^Snstant  bubbling  and  sputtering  and  gurgling  sug- 
gested an  ineffectual  attempt  of  ^ome  subterranean  monster 
to  swallow  a  few  bushels  of  hot  mush.     However  this  may 
l^  The  mush  was  never  swallowed  and  the  bubb  mgs  and 
TpMtXer^^  are  likely  to  continue  as  long  as  touristsonake 
the  rounds  of  the  park. 


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13 


A  TRIP  TO  TH»  GOLD  FIELDS  OP  ALASKA 

No.  1 6. 


''OM  Faithfar  Geyser,  Yellowstone  Park. 

In  both  the  geyser  and  the  artesian  well  the  water  is 
forced  above  the  surface  by  internal,  but  widely  different 
causes  The  flow  of  the  artesian  well  is  regular  and  meas- 
ured, like  that  of  a  fountain  under  even  pressure,  while  the 
flow  of  the  geyser  is  intermittent  and  irregular  as  to  time 
and  quantity,  according  to  the  fitful  force  generated  by  the 
disturbing  elements  of  heat  and  steam. 

When  quiescent  many  of  the  high  spouters  are  but 
crystal  pools.  Owing  to  the  irregular  intervals  of  eruption 
the  tourist  whose  time  is  limited  may  not  be  able  to  see  all 
of  the  great  geyserite  displays,  some  terrible  in  majesty, 
which  are  the  reward  of  those  who  "watch  and  wait  " 
But  here  is  a  thing  that  never  fails,  an  anticipation  never 
known  to  disappoint,— this  is  the  spouting  of  "  Old  Faith- 
ful. Punetually  every  hour,  with  an  ominous  grumbling 
and  a  quaking  of  the  earth,  this  monster  sends  forth  vast 
accumulations  of  hot  water  and  steam  to  a  height  of  150 

No.  17.  • 
Keppkr's  Giscades. 
After  leaving  Old   Faithhil  the  road  turns  Eastward 
toward  Yellowstone  Lake,  and  at  this  turn  we  stand  for  a 
moment  on  the  edge  of  the  black  canyon  through  which 
rushes  the  Firehole   River.     The  waters  are  constantly 
beaten  into  a  foam  in  their  swift  descent  over  the  rocky 
bed,  and  in  this  view  is  shown  a  number  of  charmine  • 
little  falls  known  as  Keppler's  Cascades. 

No.  18. 
Upper  Falls,  Yellowstone  Park. 

After  passing  the  Yellowstone  Lake,  which  hangs  like  a 
gigantic  mirror  more  than  a  mile  above  the  level  of  the 
sea,  we  follow  the  river  a  short  distance  to  where  the  first 
maj^tic  leap  is  made  as  the  waters  proceed  on  their  way  to 
the  Grand  Canyon.  The  Upper  Falls  are  not  imposing  in 
lieight,  but  the  vast  volume  of  water  plunges  in  a  mass  over 
the  shelvmg  cliff,  and  in  its  descent  presents  the  appear- 


' 


11  «i«s=s«.'.iV-;ss:i'j; 


■■^itiM^'J'v 


1 


THROt/CJM  THE  STfiRKOSCOPl!. 


ri 


ance  of  an  accumulation  otsoft  clouds  driven  before  a  furi- 
ous gale. 

No.  19. 
Great  Falls  of  the  Yellowstone. 

One  of  the  grandest  and  most  impressive  scenes  of  the 
park  bursts  upon  the  vision  of  the  tourist  as  he  stands  near 
the  brink  of  the  Canyon,  just  below  the  Great  Falls,  watching 
the  water  as  it  seems  to  pause  on  the  verge  of  the  precipice, 
and  then  plunges  three  hundred  feet  into  the  gorge  below. 
In  its  descent  the  torrent  is  broken  into  fleecy  columns  and 
shimmering  sheets  of  silvery  foam,  which,  nevertheless, 
strike  the  pool  below  with  a  deafening  roar  and  rebound  in 
fountains  of  spray  and  clouds  of  sparkling  mist. 

Everyone  who  has  looked  upon  the  marvels  and  glories 
of  Yellowstone  Park  is  impelled  to  give  homage  to  the 
Supreme  Architect  who  has  builded  so  grandly,  even  in  the 
very  heart  of  the  mountains  where  for.  centuries  only  wild 
beasts  had  their  habitation. 

No.  20. 

Point  Lookout  and  Great  Falls»  Yellowstone  Park. 

Another  view  of  Great  Falls  from  the  summit  of  Point 
Lookout  affords  a  stupendous  panorama,  spectral  as  a 
dream  and  overwhelming  in  effect.  As  we  gazed  into  the 
profound  depths  of  this  vast  abyss  the  moan  of  the  strug- 
gling waters  rose  like  a  grand  anthem,  which  was  echo«i 
and  re-echoed  from  the  towering  and  gorgeously  tinted 
mountain  walls. 

No.  21. 
The  Grand  Canyon  of  the  Yellowstone* 

The  scene  from  the  brink  of  the  falls  looking  into  the 
profound  depths  of  the  canyon  is  one  of  strange  majesty. 
Gazing  out  upon  the  mighty  space  between  the  widely 
spreading,  lavishly  decorated  walls,  we  inquire,  "whence 
came  all  this  " — how  many  centuries  was  it  in  forming — ^what 
occultism  of  Nature  directed  the  chisel  that  has  so  deftly 
and  boldly  sculptured  the  clifb  and  mixed  the  pigments 
and  manipulatwi  the  brush  that  so  ornately  embellished 
them  ?    We    involuntarily    exclaim    with    the    Psalmist : 


[ 


r 


14  A  TRIP  TO  THE  GOtD  FIELDS  OF  AL-ASKA 

"Come  and  see  the  works  of  God.     All  the  earth  shall 
worship  Thee,  they  shall  sing  to* Thy  name." 

No.  22. 

Bridal  Veil  ¥Uigii%  Columbia  River,  Oregfon. 

From  a  scenic  standpoint  the  tour  of  the  Columbia 
River  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  in  all  the  West.  The 
Northern  Pacific  Railway  follows  close  along  the  river's 
brink,  frequently  skirting  the  base  of  towering  cliffs  which 
rise  in  a  series  of  grand  palisades. 

No.  23. 

Pillars  of  Herculest  G>luml>ia  River,  Oregon. 

Among  the  unique  fornations  along  the  Columbia  River 
are  the  "Pillars  of  Heixules,"  situated  a  short  distance 
from  Multnomah  Falls.  If  these  towering  columns  had 
been  constructed  by  man  they  would  be  less  impressive, 
but  it  was  the  Supreme  Builder  who  set  them  in  their 
place,  graceful,  complete  and  sublime,  and  between  these 
pillars  passes  one  of  the  great  overland  thoroughfares. 

No.  24.- 
Multnomah  Falls,  G>lumbia  River,  Oregfon. 

Multnomah  Falls,  a  beautiful  little  cascade  tumbling  over 
a  precipice  about  three  hundred  feet  in  height,  presents  a 
sublimely  attractive  spectacle.  It  seems  to  quiver  from 
end  to  end  like  a  thread  of  silver  with  pearls  slipping  down 
its  entire  length. 

No.  25. 

Rooster  Rock,  Columbia  River,  Oregfon. 

Another  prominent  feature  on  the  face  of  Nature  in  this 
vicinity  is  "  Rooster  Rock,"  standing  like  a  bold  and 
sturdy  sentinel  upon  the  rugged  shore. 

No.  26. 

Bridal  Veil  Falls,  Columbia  River,  Oregfon. 

There  are  numerous  cascades  and  waterfalls  in  this  sec- 
;^ion  of  Oregon,  but  none  presents  a  wilder  or  more 
Vomantic  aspect  than  the  Bridal  Veil  Falls. 


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No.  27. 
Flumingf  Lumber  in  the  Mountains  in  Oregon. 

Lumbering  is  one  of  the  leading  industries  of  the  great 
State  of  Oregon,  and  among  the  labor  saving  devices  for 
transporting  the  logs  from  the  higher  mountain  ranges  to 
the  mills  is  the  lumber  flume,  a  section  of  which  is  seen  in 
this  view.  These  flumes  are  usually  built  at  a  steep  in- 
cline, through  which  the  water  rushes  with  great 
velocity,  and  the  logs  are  thus  readily  and  swiftly  borne 
over  a  distance  of  several  miles. 

Occasionally  a  lumberman  ventures  down  one  of  these 
flumes  in  a  rude  boat  and  is  thus  afforded  a  most  exhilir- 
ating  and  exciting  experience. 

No.  28. 
Fishermen  at  Home,  Columbia  River. 

The  extent  of  the  fisheries  of  the  Pacific  Coast  are  very 
imperfectly  understood  by  the  general  public.  On  the 
Columbia  River  there  are  numerous  canneries  where  thou- 
sands of  cases  of  salmon  are  annually  prepared  and  shipped 
to  the  markets  of  the  worid.  Salmon  are  found  in  the 
Columbia  River  in  great  abundance  and  during  the  fishing 
season  great  companies  are  employed  in  catching  and 
packing  the  fish.  In  this  view  is  shown  a  section  of  the 
racks  for  the  nets,  which,  at  the  larger  canneries,  ct^er 
several  acres. 

No.  29.  _ 

''The  Portland  **  Diningf  Room,  Portland,  Oregfon. 

We  have  now  reached  the  great  commercial  city  of 
Oregon.  Situated  at  the  head  of  ocean  ^eamei-  naviga- 
tion, the  city  of  Portland  has  developed  into  a  wealthy 
metropolis.  There  are  many  imposing  business  blocks 
and  palatial  residences  within  the  city  proper,  while  the 
various  suburbs  connected  by  electric  car  lines,  afford 
attractives  homes  for  those  who  prefer  a  residence  removed 
from  the  busy  scenes  of  the  great  city. 

Among  the  newest  buildings  is  the  spacious  Hotel  Port- 
land which  is  modern  in  construction  throughout,  and 
here  the  overland  tourist  will  find  everything  provided  for 


'  \ 


'HW 


j 


J. 


■;?  • 


1 6 


A  TRIP  TO  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA 


his  comfort  and  entertainment  while  spending  a  few  days 
in  viewing  the  many  points  of  interest  in  and  about  t'^e 
city. 

No.  30. 

Bird's-eye  View  of  Portland,  Oregfon. 

The  city  of  Portland  is  attractively  and  advantageously 
situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Willamette.  This  river  affords 
a  magnificent  water  power  which  is  largely  used  in  the 
operation  of  thriving  manufactories.  The  city  stands  in  the 
.center  of  a  region  of  almost  unlimited  agricultural  re- 
sources, and  it  is  the  chief  source  of  supply  for  the.  State, 
as  well  as  for  portions  of  Washington,  California,  and  Idaho. 

No.  31. 

Crater  Lake,  Oregon. 

One  of  the  great  natural  wonders  of  the  high  Sierras  is 
situated  within  the  limits  of  the  State  of  Oregon  and  is 
known  as  Crater  Lake.  It  is  a  vast  body  of  clear  water, 
ice  cold,  confined  within  a  circular  basin  on  the  very  crest 
of  the  mountain,  which  at  one  time  was  evidently  the  crater 
of  a  mighty  volcano.  It  is  only  the  hardy  and  more  enter- 
prising tourists  who  undertake  the  trip  to  Crater  Lake,  but 
once  upon  its  shores  the  exceedingly  picturesque  scenery 
well  repays  one  for  the  time  and  effort  necessary  to  accom- 
plish the  journey. 

•  No.  32. 

Great  Oregon  Caves— Under  the  Dome. 

We  were  fortunate  in  having  an  opportunity  to  visit 
the  wonderful  Oregon  caves.  Hidden  from  human  eyes,  deep 
in  the  rock-ribbed  bosom  of  the  hills,  the  invisible  hand  of 
the  invisible  God  has  been  ever  busy  throughout  the  cen- 
turies creating  landscapes  with  stony  skies,  yawning  chasms 
with  spectral  visitants,  overhanging  cliffs  with  threatening 
aspects,  domes  with  thousands  of  .glistening  and  many  col- 
ored pendants,  huge  columns  and  pillars  standing  in  sol- 
emn groups  like  petrified  giante  of  the  forest,  crystal  lakes 
asleep  in  a  perpetual  night,  and  many  shapes  and  forms  of 
beauty  and  imagery  which  to-day  inspire  admiration  and 
awe,  and  impel  each  beholder  to  exclaim  :  "  What  wonders 
hath  God  wrought !" 


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THROUGH  THE  STERKOSCOPE. 


'7 


No.   33. 


Great  Oregon  Caves— **  Old  Nick's  Bedroom.** 
Here  we  found  ourselves  in  a  vast  realm  of  stalacta, 
where  no  ray  of  sunshine  has  ever  penetrated.  But  the 
genius  of  man  has  revealed  the  glories  of  the  Creator,  and 
scores  of  powerful  arc  lights  now  blaze  in  the  caverns, 
disclosing  an  infinite  variety  of  quaint,  curious  and  won- 
derful formations,  which  seem  to  be  the  handiwork  of 
Nature  in  her  most  playful  mood. 

Entering  "  Old  Nick's  Bedroom  "  weiailed  to  discover 
anything  suggestive  of  a  downy  couch,  and  if  it  was  ex- 
pected that  his  Satanic  Majesty  would  revel  in  delightful 
dreams  while  supported  upon  the  knobs  and  spines  and 
other  inequalities  of  this  subterranean  sleeping  apartment, 
we  are  not  surprised  that  he  is  never  at  home. 

No.  34. 

Dining:  Room,  Hotel  Tacoma. 

Passing  Northward  into  the  State  of  Washin^on  our 
next  stop  was  made  at  the  City  of  Tacoma,  which  has  a 
commanding  location  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Puget  Sound, 
about  half  way  between  Olympia  and  Seattle.  Tacoma  is 
now  a  thriving  and  populous  city  and  in  the  preferred  resi- 
dence portion,  upon  the  heights,  are  to  be  found  some  of 
the  most  charming  and  hospitable  homes  in  the  West.  From 
these  heights  there  is  presented  to  the  vision  a  most  expansive 
and  fascinating  vista,  which,  though  superbly  grand  at  all 
times,  is  specially  enchanting  and  impressive  either  at  sunrise 
or  sunset.  Toward  the  East  Mt.  Rainier  thrusts  its  crest 
of  snow  and  ice  far  intp  the  heavens,  while  toward  the  West 
the  waters  of  Puget  Sound  stretch  away  to  the.  shore  be- 
yond where  rises  the  stately  Olympic  Range.  Tacoma  haa* 
excellent  facilities  for  transportation  both  by  land  and  sea, 
and  the  very  latest  and  best  of  modern  improvements  have 
been  utilized  by  her  citizens  both  in  public  and  private  en- 
terprises. The  hungry  and  travel-stained  tourist  is  always 
interested  in  the  character  of  the  hotels  available  and  is 
gratified  to  find  that  those  in  Tacoma  are  both  spacious 
and  well  conducted.  One  is  able  to  enjoy  a  course  dinner 
at  ihe  Hotel  Tacoma  with  genuine  comfort  and  relish,  as 


if 


I 


■0* 


ym 


fc-  -  — .■  —  J^'a 


'J 


i8 


A  TRIP  TO  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA 


may  be  imagined  from  a  little  corner  of  the  dining  room, 
which  is  represented  in  this  view. 

No.  35. 
Cuttlngr  Timber  in  the  State  of  Waihin^on. 

The  state  of  Washington  abounds  in  most  magnificent 
forests  of  fir.  Many  of  the  trees  are  so  enormous  in  bulk  as  to 
suggest  the  giant  sequoiajs  of  California.  The  lumber  indus- 
try of  Western  Washington  has  assumed  vast  proportions, 
but  the  supply  seems  to  be  inexhaustible,  so  extensive  is  the 
area  of  the  timber  region.  So  straight  and  tall  are  many 
of  these  forest  kings  that  they  suggest  mighty  col- 
umns supporting  the  green  roof  above.  The  Puget  Sound 
Indians  have  an  old  legend  descriptive  of  the  origin  of  the 
forests,  which  relates  that  great  giants  were  fighting  in  the 
clouds,  and  a  shower  of  their  tremendous  arrows  were  shot 
toward  the  earth.  These  speedily  took  root  and  the  feath- 
ers of  the  shafts  were  forthwith  transformed  into  green- 
leaved  bowers.  In  felling  these  monsters  of  the  vegetable 
kingdom  two  woodsmen  attack  -a  single  tree,  using  both 
ax  and  saw.  A  stump  of  from  five  to  ten  feet  in  height  is 
usually  left,  and  while  working,  a  temporary  platform  is 
constructed  by  fixing  a  board  or  plank  in  a  niche  made  at 
convenient  height  in  the  stump.  From  these  platforms 
the  workmen  wield  their  axes  and  operate  the  saw  until, 
finally,  the  giant  reels  upon  its  base,  and  then  with  a 
mighty  crash,  thrusts  itself  prone  upon  the  ground. 

No.  36. 
In  tlie  Lumber  Region,  Wathingfton— A  Walking  Dtidky. 

After  the  trees  have  been  felled  and  divested  of  their 
branches  the  trunks  are  sawed  into  convenient  lengths  of 
about  20  feet  each,  and  then  are  transferred  to  the  mills  to 
be  converted  into  various  shapes  and  dimensions  of  mer- 
chantable lumber.  One  method  of  transporting  these  logs 
is  by  means  of  the  "Walking  Dudley,"  a  narrow  gauge 
steam  motor,  which  hauls  the  logs  over  the  sleepers  of  the 
track,  as  illustrated  in  this  view. 


J.  .._ 


jvmmmm^m 


:.m„ii.  ^''i'.gwmiiMPiWiii  ^ 


THROUGH  THK  STEREOSCOPE. 

No.  37. 


«9 


A  Cucade  Mountain  Elk,  Washlngtm. 

Washington  is  a  paradise  for  both  the  huntsman  and 
the  angler.  The  forests  abound  in  game  and  the  waters 
are  fairly  alive  with  fish.  Nowhere  will  we  find  wilder  or 
more  picturesque  scenes  than  on  a  hunting  tour  thr<  >ugh 
the  Cascades.  It  fs  indeed  a  rare  priv  "ege  to  be  the  guest 
of  these  majestic  mountains,  where  one  may  roam  at  will 
on  the  trail  of  the  elk  and  deer  which  inhabit  this  glorious 
region,  although  the  hunting  of  large  game  is  sometimes 
made  difficult  on  account  of  the  heavy  timber  and  the  un- 
dergrowth. 

No.  38. 

Snoqualmk  Falli»  Washington. 
The  Great  Northern  Railroad  finds  its  western  terminus 
at  the  little  city  of  Everett  on  Puget  Sound.  From  here 
the  tourist  may  avail  himself  of  numerous  pleasure  trips. 
One  of  these,  which  should  not  be  omitted  by  those  "who 
in  the  love  of  nature  commune  with  her  visible  forms",  is 
an  excursion  up  the  Snohomish  River  to  Snoqualmie 
Falls,  which,  though  not  imposing  in  magnitude,  is  a  mar- 
velously  beautiful  combination  of  rocks,  forest  and  dash- 
ing waters.  Provided  with  luncheon  and  fishing  tackle,  no 
more  delightful  outing  could  be  desired  than  a  day  on  the 
brink  of  this  grand  cataract,  as  we  may  readily  imagine 
from  the  scene  presented  in  this  view.  A  company  h^ 
recently  been  organized  for  the  purpose  of  harnessing  the 
waters  of  Snoqualmie.  This  immense  power  will  be  util- 
ized in  the  generation  of  electricity  which  will  be  conveyei 
by  means  of  great  cables  to  the  cities  of  Seattle  ami 
Tacoma,  and  theife  utilized  in  propelling  street  cars  and 
machinery,  as  well  as  for  electric  lights  and  many  other 
purposes. 

No.  39. 
An  Alaskan  Outfitting  Store,  Seattle,  Washington. 

The  city  of  Seattle  is  the  metropolis  of  the  great  state 
of  Washington  and  has  had  a  marvelous  development  dur- 
ing the  last  two  decades.  Like  Chicago,  this  city  was 
almost   destroyed   by   fire,  and  in  ten    years   from    its 


•Si 

:» 


x^ 


l^^i 


mmmmtmmm 


■*■} 


A  TRIP  TO  THB  OOt.D  riRLDS  OP  ALASKA 


ashes  have  sprung  stately  and  substantial  business  blocks, 
banks,  warehouses,  hotels  and  other  structures  of  whi  h 
any  city  might  justly  be  proud.  During  the  extra- 
ordinary real  estate  boom  which  swept  over  this  portion  of 
the  country  in  the  latter  part  of  the  '8o's  Seattle  was  given 
a  great  impetus  in  the  way  of  building  and  general  public 
improvements.  Then  in  the  latter  part  of  the  '  90' s  came 
the  argonauts  to  the  Klondike,  a  majority  of  whom  made 
Seattle  their  outfitting  point  and  the  port  of  embarkation 
for  the  far  North.  The  scene  depicted  in  this  view  repre- 
sents a  portion  of  one  of  the  principal  business  streets  of 
Seattle.  At  the  beginning  of  that  "yellow  fever"  epi- 
demic the  supplies  necessary  to  equip  this  vast  army  of 
argonauts  not  only  filled  the  stores  and  warehouses,  but 
were  piled  in  great  masses  upon  the  sidewalks.  All  the 
food  supplies  intended  for  transportation  on  the  trails  and 
over  the  passes  had  to  be  enclosed  in  sacks  or  boxes  of 
convenient  size  for  packing  on  the  back.  A  formidable 
barricade  made  up  from  these  packages  appears  upon  the 
sidewalk  in  this  picture.  A  little  later  on  we  shall  see 
these  supplies  distributed  in  the  many  caches  along  the 
trail  and  half  buried  in  the  snow  drifts  in  the  pass. 

No.  40. 
A  Minnesota  Dog;  Team,  Seattle,  Washingfton* 

There  were  many  scenes  in  the  streets  of  Seattle  dur- 
ing our  brief  stay  there  which  suggested  the  character  of 
equipment  and  means  of  transportation  necessary  for  a 
successful  pilgrimage  into  the  interior  of  Alaska.  The 
attire  of  the  argonauts  was  often  novel  and  of  great 
variety.  Then  there  were  canvas  boats,  section 
boats,  and  various  other  boats  for  sale,  to  be  used 
in  crossing  the  lakes  and  navigfating  the  river  to 
Dawson ;  not  to  speak  of  the  ready-made  metal  cabins, 
etr.  One  of  the  most  interesting  and  characteristic 
equipments  was  the  Minnesota  dog  team  which  is  repre- 
sented in  this  view.  We  were  assured  that  this  team  of 
eight  dogs,  with  its  owner,  had  made  the  entire  distance 
'.  overland  from  Minnesota  to  SeatUe,  en  route  to  Dawson. 
The  team  was  well  trained  and  whenever  it  passed  up  and 
down  the  streets  attracted  much  attention  and  was  viewed 


.__i.- 


THROUGH  THK  gTERIOSCOPil. 


fl 


with  genuine  interest  by  all.  When  this  view  was  taken  the  ■ 
team  had  been  halted  for  a  rest  and  the  promptness  with 
which  the  dogs  stretched  themselves  upon  the  pavement  and 
fell  asleep  suggested  that  the  story  of  their  long  trip  over- 
land to  Seattle  was  probably  true.  We  shall  .see  many  more 
of  these  faithful  animals  on  the  steamers  and  along  the  trails, 
for  the  dogs  transported  many  thousands  of  pounds  of  sup- 
plies up  the  slippery  trails  to  the  pass  and  over  the  ice  of 
the  lakes  and  rivers  beyond. 

No.  41. 
Unloacting  Reindeer,  Seattle,  Washington. 

In  the  outskirts  of  Seattle  we  found  a  herd  of  trained 
reindeer  which  was,  indeed,  an  unusual  sight  in  our 
country.  The  deer  numbered  537  and  were  accompan- 
ied by  a  little  over  three  score  of  Lapland  trainers  and 
herders.  This  proved  to  be  the  herd  imported  by  the 
United  States  Government  for  the  purpose  of  carrying 
relief  to  the  miners  who  were  reported  starving  on  the 
Yukon. 

On  February  4th,  1898,  a  staunch  ship  sailed  from 
Basekop,  Alten  Fjord,  Norway,  four  degrees  North  of  the 
Arctic  Circle,  carrying  538  head  of  trained  reindeer,  511 
sets  of  harness  and  430  Lapland  sleds.  Accompanying  the 
deer  was  a  party  of  113  Laplanders  consisting  of  69  men, 
18  women  and  36  children.  The  voyage  of  34  days  across 
the  Atlantic  was  accomplished  with  the  loss  of  but  one 
deer,  which  was  killed  in  a  stampede  during  a  storm. 
The  expedition  landed  at  New  York  on  February  a8th. 
The  herd  was  at  once  transferred  to  suitably  equipped  cars 
and  the  long  overland  trip  across  the  continent  by  rail 
was  accomplished  without  any  loss.  The  deer  were 
unloaded  at  Seattle  on  March  9th.  To  maintain  the 
herd  until  its  arrival  in  Alaska,  a  sufficient  quantity  of 
the  peculiar  moss  updn  which  these  animals  subsist  had 
been  brought  from  Norway.  Unfortunately  the  deer  were 
given  some  alfalfa  while  at  Seattle  which  resulted  in  the 
death  of  a  dozen  of  their  number. 

The  "Lap"  herders  were  industrious  and  good  aatured 
and  seemed  much  attached  to  the  deer  which  they  had 
brought  so  far  from  their  native  land.    The  Laplanders 


mm 


•• 


A  TRIP  TO  THi  noi.n  riBi.ns  or  alaska 


were  indeed  picturesque  in  their  fur  coati  girdled  at 
the  waiat,  ticin  moccafini  and  their  unique  caps  with  a 
padded  square  on  the  top. 

No.  .^2. 

Government  Reindeer  en  Route  for  Alaska* 

These  dainty  animals  were  much  smallfir  than  the  rein- 
deer of  our  imagination  and  there  was  not  a  single  antler 
in  the  entire  herd,  but  we  were  told  that  the  deer  had  been 
dehorned  before  leaving  Lapland  iu  order  to  economize 
space  and  also  to  avoid  injury  to  the  herd  during  its  long 
journey  by  sea  and  land.  Each  deer  was  secured  by  a 
tether  and  they  were  piclceted  in  long  lines  after  the  fash- 
ion of  cavalry  horses  in  camp. 

Although  these  animals  were  thoroughly  trained  and 
appeared  inoffensive  and  docile,  we  learned  that  they  have 
a  habk  of  turning  frequently  upon  their  drivers  and 
herders  and  striking  them  viciously  with  their  front  feet. 
It  is  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  themselves  from  these 
sudden  and  dangerous  assaults  that  the  "Lap"  traveler 
always  wears  a  cap  surmounted  by  a  pad  or  cushion  about 
a  foot  square  and  two  inches  in  thickness. 

No.  43. 
Steamer  Australia  Loading;  for  Alaska. 

In  the  c[ood  old  days  an  Alaskan  bound  steamer  at- 
tracted little  attention  and  the  tourist  had  no  difTiculty  in 
securing  accomodations,  including  ample  deck  space  for  a 
promenade,  but  during  the  exodus  to  the  Yukon  evpry 
available  craft  was  pressed  into  service  for  the  trans- 
portation of  Northbound  passengers  and  freight.  The 
stability  of  the  vessels  was  not  always  tested  prior  to 
the  embarkation,  and  ii  is  remarkable  thilt  so  few  disasters 
occured  on  the  long  voyages  through  the  narrow  channels 
which  intervene  between  Seattle  and  Skagway.  For  weeks 
every  steamer  leaving  port  was  loaded  to  its  utmost  capac- 
ity and  still  the  wharfs  were  crowded  with  the  multitude 
awaiting  an  opportunity  to  embark.  Those  were,  indeed, 
busy  and  excitmg  days. 


«JWJ  !,J!',!!l.'J!«l!UJ.tW." 


f 


THKOUOH  THE  STBRBOSCOPB. 


•J 


No.  44. 


EmbAfklnr   '<"'    ^^    Klondike— StcAiner   '^Quccn''    at 
^,         Seattle* 

At  the  time  ot  our  embarkation  in  the  latter  part  of 
March,  1898,  the  excitment  had  somewhat  abated,  never- 
theless we  found  ourselves  in  the  midst  of  an  eager  and 
bustling  throng  hurrying  about  with  packages  of  personal 
^^SS^K^>  K'ving  final  commands  and  bidding  farewell  to 
those  who  remained  behind.  In  this  view  we  see,  half  way 
up  the  bridge,  the  figure  of  a  woman  bent  in  earnest  con- 
versation with  another  of  he**  sex.  When  and  under  what 
circumstances  will  they  meet  again  ? 

No.  45. 

'^Good  Bye»  Good  Friend*,  Good  Bye;  We  go  to  Do  of 

Die.'* 

The  shrill  notes  of  the  ship's  whistle  sounded  the  final 
warning,  the  moorings  were  cast  of!,  the  great  engines 
were  started,  the  steamer,  as  if  pulsating  with  life,  swung 
proudly  into  the  open  waters  of  that  magnificent  inland 
sea — Puget  Sound — and  the  long  voyage  to  Alaska  had 
begun.  Upon  the  decks  were  a  few  of  the  argonauts  wav- 
ing a  last  adieu.  They  had  set  their  faces  toward  the 
golden  goal  and  each  seemed  conscious  of  the  responsibil- 
ities as  well  as  the  possibilities  of  the  undertaking.  Per- 
haps they  realized  that  the  future  held — for  all,  hardships; 
for  a  few,  fortunes,  and  for  others  bleak  and  isolated  graves 
in  the  far  jind  frozen  North. 

No.  46. 

On  the  Hurricane  Deck  of  the  Steamer  Queen  Leaving: 
Seattle  for  the  Klondike. 

The  hurricane  deck  astern  was  reserved  for  the  dogs, — 
dogs  destined  for  service  over  the  dreadful  Chilkoot  trail 
and  the  ice  of  the  lakes  rnd  river  beyond.  Tbia  collection 
of  dogs  presented  a  wonderful  variety  aa  to  aize,  color  and 
disposition.  There  were  old  doga,  young  doga,  large  doga, 
alim  dogs,  handsome  dogs  and  vlciona  doga.  They  were 
evidently  entire  strangera  to  each  other  and  on  unfriendly 
terma.    By  their  conatant  anapping  and  anarling  they 


t 


ii) 


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..A — ■        a—I  :..^'- 


»4 


A  TRIP  TO  THE  GOLD  FIKLDS  OF  ALASKA 


seemed  instinctively  to  protest  ai^ainst  the  exposure  and 
hardships  in  store  for  them  in  the  far  Noith.  Even  while 
aboard  ship  these  faithful  animals  had  a  minimutn  of  com- 
fort and  protection  as  they  were  exposed  daring  the  entire 
journey  to  the  searching  cold  o  those  fierce  blasts  that 
sweep  down  from  the  mountains  of  snow  and  ice. 

No.  47. 

Dr.  Sheldon  Jackson  and  Goverment  Post  Office  Inspector^ 

en  Route  to  Dawson  City»  Alaska. 

During  our  stay  in  Seattle  the  weather  was  balmy  and 
springlike  but  this  did  not  deter  scores  of  vain  Yukoners 
from  sweltering  dn  the  streets  in  an  endless  variety  of 
newly- acquired  Klondike  attire.  The  travel-scarred 
veterans  did  not  don  their  "Easter"  suits  until  the  staunch 
steamer  had  actually, put  her  nose  into  one  of  those  chill- 
ing blasts  of  the  Northland,  and  not  until  then  did  the 
artist  have  an  opportunity  to  photograph  Dr.  Jackson  and 
the  Post  Office  Inspector  fully  attired  in  their  frost-proof 
garments.  Some  of  us  had  been  nearly  bankrupted  in  the' 
purchase  of  a  multitudinous  Klondike  wardrobe,  consist- 
ing of  garments  of  silk,  wool,  buckskin,  leat  »•,  corduroy, 
India  rubber,  fur,  etc.,  but  when  we  sought  to  enjoy  the 
magnificent  scenery  from  the  upper  deck,  while  the  breath 
of  the  glaciers  was  shrieking  through  the  rigging  during 
those  latter  days  of  March,  we  fully  appreciated  our 
"Easter"  suits  and  the  wisdom  which  had  induced  their 
purchase. 

Nos.  48  and  49. 

On  the  Deck  of  the  Steamer  Queen  Bound  for  the  Klon 

dike. 

We  now  found  oursielves  in  the  midst  of  the  character- 
istic scenic  wonders  of  the  new  Northwest  and  the  passen- 
gers reveled  in  the  glorious  vistas  from  the  upper  deck 
until  driven  thence  by  the  searching  cold  to  the  comforta- 
ble cabin.  The  kodak  fiend,  as  well  as  the  professional 
artist,  was  ever  on  the  alert  for  "snap  shots"  of  the  rapidly 
moving  and  wonderfully  varied  panorama.  Here  the 
steamer  glides  steadily  through  the  narrow  channels 
and  passes;  the  icy,  green  waters  ripple  along  the  somber 


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THROUGH  THE  STIREOSCOPK. 


«S 


and  tenantless  shores,  an  endless  sweep  of  forest  fringes 
the  banks  and  bluffs,  while  above  and  beyond  tower  those 
glorious  mountains  of  snow;  dimpled,  shimmering,  clean- 
cut  and  stately, — a  spectacle  of  unsurpassed  grandeur  and 
impressiveness. 

As  we  satled  on  day  and  night  between  huge  granite  walls 
fringed  and  frosted  at  the  base  and  mantled  in  eternal 
snows,  with  the  vessel's  prow  pointing  ever  to  the  North- 
ward, we  realized  that  although  more  than  three  decades 
have  elapsed  since  the  territory  of  Alaska  was  acquired  by 
the  United  States,  comparatively  little  is  understood  by 
the  general  public  relative  to  the  history  and  topography 
of  the  country,  its  conditions,  its  resources  and  the  vastness 
of  its  area. 

The  first  recorded  expedition  to  these  parts  was  made 
in  1 741  by  a  party  of  Russians  under  Vitus  Bering,  and  it 
is  just  100  years  since  the  territory  was  granted  to  a  Russo- 
American  Fur  Company  by  Emperor  Paul  VIII. 

Less  than  a  year  ago  the  official  statistics  showed  that 
Alaska  had  an  area  of  580,107  square  miles,  but  last  sum- 
mer the  officers  of  the  Coaft  and  Geodetic  Survey  discov- 
ered that  the  land  in  th€  vicinity  of  the  delta  of  the  Yukon 
extends  further  toward  the  Northwest  than  was  formerly 
supposed,  and  hence  approximately  3,500  square  miles 
have  been  eliminated  from  the  supposed  dimensions  of 
Bering  Sea  and  added  to  the  territorial  domain.  A  con- 
siderable portion  of  Alaska  lies  within  the  Arctic  Circle. 
The  greatest  extent  of  the  mainland  in  a  North  and  South 
line  is  about  1,100  miles,  and  from  East  to  West  800 
miles.  Its  coast  line  is  estimated  at  18,311  miles,  which 
is  greater  in  extent  than  the  entire  coast  line  of  the  United 
States.  The  steamer  route  from  Seattle  to  Skagway  is  a 
little  over  1,100  miles.  The  distance  frOm  Skagway  to 
Dawson  and  the  Klondike  is  approximately  600  miles,  and 
from  Dawson  to  St.  Michael,  in  Bering  Sea,  about  1,300 
miles.  From  St.  Michael  you  can  proceed  to  Unalaska  by 
ocean  steamer,  a  distance  of  750  miles.  If  you  go  thence 
to  San  Francisco  by  sea  you  must  travel  3,350 miles,  while 
the  journey  by  water  from  Seattle  to  Unalaska  is  a  little 
less  than  3,000  miles. 

For  more  than  30  years  American  territory  has  stretch- 
ed away^to  the  Westward  nearly  as  far  as  the  Philippines. 


n; 


■men 


26 


A  TRIP  TO  THK  dOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA 


At  Unalaska  we  found  ourselves  three  hours  and  nine 
minutes  West  of  San  Francisco.  If  a  straight  line  wer^ 
let  fall  due  South  from  Uualaska  it  would  pass  a  point 
West  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands.  But  we  remember  that  we 
have  several  hundred  miles  of  American  territory  West  of 
Unalaska.  If,  then,  from  the  Island  Attu,  which  marks 
the  Western  limit  of  the  Aleutian  archipelago,  we  proceed 
due  South  we  shall  pass  a  point  nearly  half  way  between 
Honolulu  and  Manila. 

Nor  can  we  object  to  Cuba,  Porto  Rico,  Hawaii  and 
the  Philippines  simply  because  they  are  islands.  The 
islands  of  Alaska  aggregate  an  area  of  over  31,000  square 
miles.  The  Alexander  archipelago,  in  Southeastern  Alas- 
ka, consists  of  over  1,100  islands,  and  the  Aleutian  archi- 
pelago plunges  away  into  the  Pacific  nearly  1,500  miles 
and  lies  upon  the  map  like  a  giant  index  finger,  mutely 
but  persistently  indicating  the  Westward  stridr  of  the 
course  of  empire. 

No.  50, 

Front  Street*  Wrangel*  AIask&* 

The  tourist  to  the  new  Northwest  usually  sets  foot  on 
Alaskan  soil  for  the  first  time  at  Fort  Wrangel,  one  of  the 
oldest  Russian  outposts,  and  named  after  Baron  Wrangel. 
This  is  the  site  of  one  of  the  ancient  Indian  villages  and  the 
native  community  constitutes  a  considerable  proportion  of 
the  population,  although  some  of  the  American  pioneers 
have  been  residents  here  since  the  '6o's. 

In  the  recent  exodus  to  the  gold  fields  Fort  Wrangel 
became  conspicuous  as  the  starting  point  of  one  of  the 
trails  to  the  Klondike.  This  route  led  from  Fort  Wrangel 
via  the  Stikeen  River  to  Telegraph  Creek  and  thence  to 
Lake  Teslin.  Here  boats  were  constructed  and  the  trip 
continued  via  Teslin  Lake,  Hootalinqua  and  Lewes  Rivers 
to  the  Yukon. 

At  the  time  of  our  arrival  at  Fort  Wrangel  upwards 
of  2,000  argonauts  had  been  landed,  or,  more  prop- 
erly, stranded  there,  and  while  this  division  of  the  graad 
army  of  the  Klondikers  were  waiting  for  the  ice  to  go 
out  of  the  Stikeen  River,  American  enterprise  dis- 
played itself  in  the  development  of  various  speculations  of 


I 


._i.., .. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


i7 


a  more  or  less  illegitimate  character.  Here  we  found  the 
"sure  thing"  and  shell  games,  faro,  roulette  and,  towering 
above  all  these,  a  genuine,  civilized,  up-to-date  real  estate 
boom.  Buildings  were  in  course  of  construction  on  every 
hand.  Real  estate  and  rents  were  unreasonably  high. 
After  every  foot  of  available  building  space  on  the  little 
harbor  had  been  occupied,  the  boomers  actually  seized 
upon  a  portion  of  the  sea,  and,  filling  this  area  with  piling, 
were  offering,  among  other  curios,  town  lots  on  stilts.  We 
inquired  the  dimensions  of  these  lots  and  were  promptly 
informed  that  the  regular  frontage  was  25  feet  with  the 
privilege  of  extending  the  back  yard  into  the  sea  as  far  as 
one  might  desire. 

The  obstructions  to  be  met  with  in  the  public  thorough- 
fares of  Wrangel  are  well  illustrated  in  this  view. 
The  main  street  was  literally  filled  with  boulders,  stumps, 
piling,  crosswalks,  rubbish,  tin  cans  and  building  material 
of  every  description.  The  tourist  wonders  how  the  car- 
riages and  drays  are  able  to  traverse  this  thoroughfare, 
but  soon  learns  that  there  are  no  horses  in  Wrangel  and 
no  wheeled  vehicles  excepting  push  carts. 


!  f 


■r- 


No.  31. 
An  Alaskan  Deity,  Wrangel,  Alaska. 

Fort  Wrangel  is  not  only  one  of  the  oldest  of  Alaskan 
Indian  villages,  but  it  is  also  famous  as  the  native  heath 
and  abiding  place  of  the  totems.  These  curios  seem  to  be 
indigenous  and  appear  in  the  form  of  carved  poles  or 
hewn  blocks.  They  are  both  numerous  and  grotesque,  sug- 
gesting that  the  native  Indian  is  at  least  unique.  These  to- 
tems are  a  sort  of  family  badge, — not  such  as  could  readi- 
ly be  worn  upon  the  lapel  of  the.  vest,  but  one  that  is  not 
likely  to  be  overlooked  by  a  neighbor.  They  record  the 
family  history,  and  after  viewing  one  of  these  family  totems, 
those  interested  in  genealogy  realize  for  the  first  time  just 
what  a  genealogical  tree  looks  like — ^with  the  bark  off. 
There  is  also  a  class  of  these  grotesque  columns  known  as 
death  totems,  which  sometimes  mark  the  graves  of  men  of 
rank  and  importance. 


if- 


aS  A  TRIP  TO  THE  GOLD  FIILD8  OF  ALASKA 

No.  52. 
Alaska  hy  Moonligfht;  Bound  for  the  Klondi^-e. 

The  day  of  our  arrival  at  Wrangei  was  clear  and  beau- 
tiful, and*  every  moment  of  our  stay  was  replete  with  fas- 
cinating interest  in  the  many  strange  and  unique  sights;  so 
that  it  was  with  reluctance  that  we  obeyed  the  signal  which 
once  more  called  us  on  board  the  steamer.  The  moorings 
were  cast  off  and  the  stately  ship  swung  again  upon  the 
bosom  of  the  rippling  waters.  The  night  was  glorious  and 
the  full  moon  shed  a  flood  of  light  upon  the  bay.  The 
prow  was  soon  cutting  the  waters  of  Lynn  Canal  and  once 
more  our  little  company  of  argonauts  were  on  their  way 
to  the  farther  North. 

No.  53. 

The  Seminok  Loaded  with  Reindeer  for  the  Interior  of 

Alaska. 

At  the  head  of  Lynn  Canal  stands  those  famous  twin 
cities  of  Alaska,— Skagway  and  Dyea.  This  canal  is 
nearly  100  miles  in  length  and  is  enclosed  between  abrupt 
and  towering  granite  walls. 

Soon  after  entering  the  canal  we  overtook  and  passed 
the  schooner  Seminole,  having  on  board  the  entire  re- 
lief reindeer  herd  and  a  majority  of  their  "Lap"  attend- 
ants. The  reindeer,  which  we  last  saw  at  Seattle,  were 
loaded  on  board  the  Seminole,  and  on  March  17  th  left 
that  port  for  Haines  Mission,  a  little  Indian  village  locat- 
ed on  the  western  shore  of  Lynn  Canal,  about  15  miles 
from  its  head.  The  reindeer  were  all  stowed  away  in  the 
hold  of  the  vessel,  but  the  Laplanders  thronged  the  deck 
of  the  schooner  and  cheered  us  lustily  as  we  passed.  In- 
asmuch as  the  schooner  had  to  be  towed  the  entire  dis- 
tance from  Seattle  to  Haines  Mission,  about  1,100 
miles,  ten  days  were  consumed  in  the  passage  and  the  Semi- 
nole was  safely  moored  in  Portage  Cove,  at  the  Mission,  on 
March  a7th.  The  company  of  "Laps"  on  the  Semi- 
nole consisted  of  60  men,  the  remaining  nine  men,  to- 
gether with  the  women  and  children,  having  been  left  at 
Port  Townsend,  to  proceed  thence  by  ocean  steamer  to  St. 
Michael. 


i'lriJi'rif'iiMiiwiiii 


I 


IKA 


r  and  beaa- 
te  with  fas- 
le  sights;  so 
lignal  which 
he  moorings 
in  upon  the 
glorious  and 
bay.  The 
al  and  once 
a  their  way 


:  Intefiof  of 

Pamous  twin 
lis  canal  is 
reen  abrupt 

and  passed 
;  entire  re- 
»p"  attend- 
;attle,  were 
ch  17  th  left 
illage  locat- 
lit  15  miles 
tway  in  the 
d  the  deck 
lassed.  In- 
entire  dis- 
bout  1,100 
td  the  Semi* 
Mission,  on 
the  Semi- 
ae  men,  to- 
been  left  at 
earner  to  St. 


THROUGH  THK  STERCOSCOPE. 


»9 


No.  54. 


The  Steamer  Queen  at  Hahies  Missiotv  Alaska,  En  Route 
to  the  Klondike. 

Our  good  ship  Queen,  after  passing  the  Seminole, 
sped  on  to  Skagway,  discharged  her  freight  and  passengers 
and  then  returned  to  Portage  Cove  just  as  the  reindeer  ship, 
was  dropping  anchor.  Furious  gales  sometimes  sweep 
down  between  the  massive  granite  walls  which  enclose  the 
Lynn  Canal,  rendering  navigation  difficult  and  often  dan- 
gerous. In  the  winter  of  1898,  during  one  of  these  gales, 
the  steamer  Clara  Nevada  was  driven  on  a  reef  a  few 
miles  below  Haines  Mission,  and  when  the  storm  subsid- 
ed po  trace  of  the  ship  or  its  thirty-five  passengers  could 
be  found. 

Portage  Cove,  upon  which  Haines  Mission  is  situated, 
affords  the  safest  anchorage  ground  on  the  canal.  Here 
we  left  the  Queen  for  a  brief  sojourn  at  the  Mission.  It ' 
would  be  difficult  to  find  a  locality  of  more  fascinating  nnd 
impressive  grandeur.  The  rippling  waters  of  the  cove 
stretch  away  three  miles  to  the  rugged  walls  of  the  oppo- 
site shore  of  the  canal,  and  on  every  hand  tower  the  snow- 
capped, granite  giants  as  if  appealing  tot  divine  recogni- 
tion. While  endeavoring  to  comprehend  the  immensity 
of  the  stupendous  panorama  there  presented,  I  could  but 
feel  that  when  our  American  tourists  have  wearied  with 
Norway  and  the  Alps,  they  may  with  confidence  hope  to 
find  more  varied,  extensive  and  inspiring  creations  of  the 
Supreme  Architect  in  those  silent  Alaskan  mountains, 
mantled  in  eternal  snow,  with  their  mighty  glaciers  of 
azure  blue  perched  with  threatening  aspect  upon  the  brows 
of  towering  crags,  or  creeping  with  measured  pace  to  the 
bosom  of  the  sea. 

No.  55. 

Dr.  Sheldon  jAckson  and  Govenunent  Reindeer,  Haines 

Blission. 

On  March  aSth  we  witnessed  the  lattding  of  the  rein- 
deer at  Haines  Mission.  The  herd  then  cumbered  535. 
During  the  disembarkation  one  of  the  deer  fell  from  the 


l^wa 


MMtiP' 


30 


A  TRIP  TO  THI  GOLD  flELDS  OP  ALASKA 


barge  to  the  beach  and  was  so  severely  injured  that  it  had 
to  be  killed. 

From  the  date  of  the  landing  of  the  deer  at  Haii.es 
Mission  th&  story  of  the  relief  expedition  is  replete  with 
tragedy.  No  preparations  had  been  made  for  feeding  the 
herd  after  its  arrival  in  Alaska.  The  moss  brought  from 
Norway  had  been  exhausted.  There  was  none  of  this 
moss  at  Haines  and  no  one  seemed  to  know  where  to  find 
any.  A  party  of  "Laps"  went  in  search  of  the  much- 
needed  food  for  the  herd,  but  returned  in  a  few  days  emp- 
ty handed. 

It  was  then  learned  that  the  miners  on  the  Yukon  were 
not  starving,  but  that  the  reindeer,  intended  to  transport 
them  relief,  were.  That  the  lives  of  the  miners  in  the  in- 
terior did  not  depend  upon  the  success  of  this  expedition  is 
indeed  fortunate,  as  about  400  reindeer  died  from  stavation 
in  the  vicinity  of  Portage  Cove.  Two  hundred  thousand 
dollars  was  the  sum  appropriated  by  Congress  for  this 
enterprise,  which  appears  to  have  been  managed  jointly 
by  representatives  of  the  Interior  and  War  Departments, 
but  since  the  expedition  has  resulted  in  disaster,  each  of 
the  responsible  parties  is  willing  to  give  the  credit  to  the 
other  fellow.  • 

There  was  at  Haines  Mission  a  detachment  of  infantry 
which  was  intended  to  act  as  an  escort  to  the  reindeer  herd 
while  en  route  to  the  interior.  The  officers  of  this  detach- 
ment were  Captain  Eldrige,  Captain  Bra^nard,  Lieutenant 
Clark,  Lieutenant  Field  and  Dr.  Kemp.  We  see  in  this 
view  a  number  of  the  reindeer  just  after  they  had  been  landed 
on  the  shore  of  Portage  Cove,  and  the  persons  represented 
in  the  view  are  Dr.  Jackson,  Lieutenant  Field,  the  Post 
Office  Inspector,  and  some  soldiers  and  "Laps." 

No.  56. 

Starting  for  the  Gold  Fidcls  on  Norway  Sle^  Haines 

Mission. 

In  this  View  we  have'  an  excellent  representation  of  a 
Lapland  reindeer  train  ready  to  start  on  its  journey  over 
the  limitless  fields  of  snow.  We  notice  the  broad  hoofs  of 
the  deer,  wisely  provided  by  nature  in  order  to  prevent 
their  sinking  into  the  soft  or  loosely  pjacked  drifts.    The 


1 


Haines 


THROUGH  THE  STtRKOSCOPE.  Jt 

"l^p"  sltds  remind  us  more  of  a  cradle  than  a  sled,  and 
In  order  to  test  the  virtue  of  this  mode  of  transportation 
we  made  a  short  trip  over  a  little  pass  in  an  adjoining 
range,  utilizing  these  queer  little  boat-shaped  sleds  and 
the  fleet  deer.  The  snow  was  abundant  and  the  trip  was 
successfully  accomplished  with  much  enthusiastic  enjoy- 
ment, but  we  do  not  hesitate  to  declare  that  to  be  able  to 
maintain  one's  balance  in  a  "Lap"  sled,  with  the  deer  at 
full  speed,  is  a  feat  of  which  even  a  Japanese  juggler  might 
justly  be  proud.  The  experiences  of  the  novice  in  a 
"Lap"  sled  easily  out-class  those  of  the  most  awkward 
pupil  on  roller' skates  or  a  bicycle.  Late  in  May  a  pastur- 
age of  reindeer  moss  was  found  about  a  hundred  miles 
inland  and  the  remnant  of  the  herd  was  left  there  to  browse 
until  able  to  continue  the  journey  to  the  interior. 

The  J)alton  Trail  to  the  Yukon  starts  from  Haines 
Mission.  It  was  over  this  trail  that  the  surviving  reindeer 
proceeded  and  when  last  heard  from  about  135  reindeer 
were  still  living  and  had  reached  the  vicinity  of  Eagle 
City  in  Alaskan  territory.  The  feasibility  of  utilizing  the 
reindeer  as'  a  means  of  transportation  in  Alaska  is  still 
problematical  but  the  Government  is  making  further 
experiment  in  this  line  and  it  is  sincerely  hoped  that  the 
effort  will  result  in  ultimate  success. 

No.  57. 
The  Gty  of  Seattle  at  Skagway  Wharf,  Alaska. 

After  seeing  the  reindeer  safely  landed  at  Haines  Mis- 
sion we  proceeded  to  Skagway  'On  the  steamer  City  of 
Seattle, — one  of  the  swiftest  vessels  plying  between 
Puget  Sound  and  th^  headwaters  of  the  Lynn  Canal. 

The  pioneer  white  settler  at  Skagway  located  there  in 
1 89 1,  yet  the  first  ship  load  of  Yukon  argonauts  who 
landed  on  that  beach  in  July,  1897,  saw  few  signs  of 
human  habitations.  Today  four  splendid  wharves  nearly 
a  mile  in  length  stretch  away  from  a  city  to  the  deep 
waters  at  the  head  of  Lynn  Canal.  Great  sea-going 
steamers  touch  almost  daily  at  these  spacious  piers.  The 
city  is  truly  a  marvel  of  the  nineteenth  century,  with  a 
population  of  from  five  to  six  thousand.  Its  superb  elec- 
tric light  system  supplies  1,300  incandescent  lamps  and  50 


>^ 


*  » -  ■•  -  - 


3* 


A  Ti-tp  TO  THE  OOLb  riKLDS  or  ALASKA 


arc  lights.  A  pUcid  mountain  lake  of  glacier  water  fittu- 
•ted  hundreds  of  feet  above  the  city  is  the  source  of  a 
magnificent  water  supply.  Here  are  also  schools,  cLurches, 
newspapers,  banks  and  machine  shops,  and  it  is  the  ambi- 
tion of  Skagway  to  become  the  capital  city  of  the  North 
Star  State— that  is  to  be. 

In  this  view  we  see  the  steamer  City  of  Seattle  moor> 
ed  at  Moore's  Wharf.  The  dock  is  thronged  witn  Klon- 
dikers  eager  to  learn  the  latest  items  of  news  from 
the  States  as  well  as  to  greet  friends  who  have  just  arrived 
to  join  them  in  their  long  and  hazardous  journey  to  the 
interior  gold  fields.  Astern  of  the  ship  we  observe  several 
steam  launches.  These  little  boats  ply  between  Skagway 
and  Dyea,  for  as  yet,  the  only  wharf  at  Dyea  has  not  been 
completed  and  freight  and  passengers  for  the  Dyea  trail 
are  landed  at  Skagway  and  transferred  thence  to  Dyea, 
five  miles  distance,  by  means  of  the  smaller  boats. 

No.  58. 
Lunch  W  the  Wayslile;  Dyea  Trail 

It  was  not  long  after  th«  news  of  fabulous  fortunes  un- 
earthed on  the  Klondike  reached  civilization  until  that 
great  army  of  eager  and  ardent  adventurers  to  the  Yukon 
and  its  tributaries  made  the  Chilkoot  Pass  famous  as  one 
of  the  most  accessible  gateways  to  the  land  of  nuggetu, 
frosts,  mosquitoes,  scenery  and  silence. 

The  distance  from  Dyea  to  Lake  Linderman,  at  the 
headwaters  of  the  Yukon,  is  a8  miles,  and  interposed  between 
these  two  points  we  find  that  dreaded  barrier,  the  famous 
Chilkoot  Pass.  Having  been  safely  landed  at  Dyea  with 
our  outfit  we  proceed  at  once  upon  the  trail.  For  the  first 
nine  miles  we  followed  the  course  of  the  Dyea  River  to 
Canon  City  and  found  the  road  a  comparatively  easy  one. 
From  Canon  City  the  trail  turns  at  once  into  a  tortuous 
and  picturesque  box  canyon  through  which  we  must  pro- 
ceed for  a  distance  of  a  little  over  three  miles.  Down  this 
canon  rushes  the  swift  waters  of  the  Dyea  River,  which, 
however,  we  found  completely  bridged  and  hidden  beneath 
masses  of  ice  and  snow.  During  the  months  of  February, 
March  and  April,  1898,  this  canyon  was  thronged  with 
eager  and  industrious  Klondiken,  who  were  pushing  for- 


SKA 

;r  water  Kttu- 
■ource  of  a 

)li,cLarchef, 
is  the  ambi- 

Df  the  North 

eattle  moor* 
d  with  Klon- 
news  from 
just  arrived 
urney  to  the 
serve  several 
icn  Skagway 
has  not  been 
Dyea  trail 
to  Dyea, 
oats. 


THROUOH  THI  STEREOSCOPE. 


33 


fortunes  un- 
m  until  that 
Co  the  Yukon 
imous  as  one 
of  nuggetu, 

rman,  at  the 
osed  between 
',  the  famous 
It  Dyea  with 
For  the  first 
^ea  River  to 
'ely  easy  one. 
to  a  tortuous 
ve  must  pro- 
Down  this 
liver,  which, 
Iden  beneath 
of  February, 
ironged  with 
pushing  for- 


ward with  their  supplies  toward  the  summit  and  to  the 
lakes  beyond.  Soon  after  entering  the  canyon  we  halted 
for  a  little  needed  rest  and  cheerfully  accepted  an  invita- 
tion to  lunch  with  a  party  of  miners  who  were  camped 
along  the  trail. 

No.  59- 

In  the  Gtnyon ;  Dye*  Trail. 

The  scene  represented  in  this  view  impresses  us  with 
the  fact  that  the  army  of  argonauts  who  passed  over  the 
Dyea  Trail  not  only  proceeded  on  foot  but  also  perwonally 
transported  their  camp  equipage  and  supplies.  A  few 
had  horses  or  dogs  to  aid  them  ih  this  tedious  and  laborious 
work,  but  the  majority  either  packed  their  supplies  on 
their  backs 'or  hauled  them  upon  the  low,  narrow  Yukon 
sleds.  The  canyon  itself  with  its  abrupt  and  barren  walls, 
or  steep  and  heavily  timbered  slopes,  its  frozen  water  falls, 
ice  bridges,  over-hanging  cliffs  and  snow-laden  forests 
presented  many  rare  and  beautiful  pictures,  but  it  is  safe 
to  say  that  few  of  these  were  appreciated  or  even  observed 
by  those  weary  toilers,  who  day  after  day  labored  dili- 
gently to  bring  their  supplies  nearer  to  the  summit. 

No.  60. 
Gold  Miners  and  Their  Dog  Teams,  Dyea.  TraiL 

As  we  emerged  from  the  canyon  the  trail  widened  into  a 
comfortable  roadway  and  the  ascent  was  more  gradual. 
Here  the  mountain  walls  are  less  precipitous  and  there 
are  numerous  spaces  in  the  gorge  which  are  comparatively 
level,  affording  reasonably  secure  locations  for  temporary 
camps.  These  desirable-  nooks  we  found  occupied  by  the 
tents  of  the  gold  seekers  and  as  these  tents  rapidly  in- 
creased in  number  on  either  side  of  the  trail  we  were  warned 
of  the  fact  that  we  were  approaching  that  wonderful  winter 
metropolis  of  the  Dyea  trail,— Sheep  Camp. 

No.  61. 
A  Picturesque  Street  in  Shup  Camp. 

Those  who  have  never  visited  a  booming  frontier  min- 
ing ciimp  will  find  it  difficult  to  appreciate  the  rapidity 
with  which  such  camps  acquire  a  population  and  metro- 


--*  - 


34 


A  TRIP  TO  THE  (JOLD  riELDK  OF  ALASKA 


politan  importance.  The  city  of  Sheep  Camp  had  no 
excuse  for  an  existence  excepting  the  fact  that  it  was  the 
last  halt  oh  the  trail  to  the  Chilkoot  before  pauing  above 
timber  line.  This  fact  made  it  the  great  transfer  station 
where  Klondikers  cached  their  supplies  and  from  which 
they  transported  them  in  installments  to  the  summit  of  the 
pass.  There  are  fev.  cities  in  all  American  history  which 
have  had  a  more  rapid  growth,  or  a  more  sudden  and  com- 
plete collapse  than  Sheep  Camp. 

No.  62. 
Our  Party  en  Route  to  the  KlondUce,  Sheep  Gump. 

Sheep  Camp  is  located  on  either  side  of  the  Dyea 
River,  which,  during  summer,  is  a  rushing  torrent  from  30 
to  40  feet  in  width.  Mountains  of  Alpine  grandeur  rise 
on  either  side  and  the  gorges  are  filled  with  great  glaciers. 
In  the  fall  of  1897  the  city  consisted  of  about  150  tents 
with  a  population  of  from  300  to  400  persons.  At  the 
time  of  our  arrival  in  Sheep  Champ  on  April  5th,  1898,  it 
presented  a  busy,  unique  and  weird  spectacle.  Tents, 
shacks,  shanties  and  buildings  of  varied  shape,  size  and 
hue  were  crowded  along  either  side  of  the  road  which  fol- 
lows the  narrow  ravine  towards  the^  pass.  Thousands  of 
people  of  all  ages  and  nationalities,  women  as  well  as  men, 
were  camped  here.  Throngs  of  adventurous  gold  seekers 
were  moving  hither  and  thither  in  every  direction,  surging 
over  snow  drifts  or  along  the  narrow,  winding  and  pictur- 
esque streets,  with  heavy  packs,  or  tugging  away  in  a  perse- 
vering endeavor  to  drag  their  heavily  laden  sleds  towards 
the  summit. 

The  population  of  the  city  at  that  time  was  estimated 
at  from  seven  to  eight  thousand.  The  business  of  trans- 
porting supplies  over  the  Dyea  trail  was  a  profitable  one 
to  those  who  had  at  their  command  the  necessary  means 
of  transportation.  The  rates  charged  between  Dyea  and 
Lake  Linderman  during  the  earlier  period  of  the  crusade 
were  appalling  to  those  Klondikers  who  were  not  liberally 
supplied  with  ready  cash.  Several  pack  trains  were 
operated  between  Dyea  and  Sheep  Camp,  and  in  this  view 
we  see  one  of  these  trains  entering  Sheep  Camp  heavily 
laden  with  miners'  supplies. 


._ i    _ 


mm 


jm 


f 


)  had   no 
it  wai  the 

liag  above 
'er  station 
om  which 
mit  of  the 
ary  which 
and  com- 


Gunp. 

the  Dyea 
at  from  30 
adeur  rise 
A  glaciers. 
t  150  tents 
I.  At  the 
h,  Z898,  it 
i.  Tents, 
!,  size  and 
which  fol- 
>usands  of 
ell  as  men, 
»ld  seekers 
>n,  surging 
,nd  pictur- 
in  a  perse- 
is  towards 

estimated 
I  of  trans- 
Stable  one 
lary  means 
.  Dyea  and 
:he  crusade 
ot  liberally 
;rains  were 
in  this  view 
Dap  heavily 


mji ""'' 


THROUGH  THK  STKRROSCOPK. 


J5 


No.  63. 

Main  Street,  Sheep  Giinp. 

In  this  view  we  are  offered  a  more  comprehensive  idea 
of  that  section  of  the  canyon  in  which  Sheep  Camp  was 
located.  Every  portion  of  available  space  is  occupied  by 
tents,  stores,  restaurants,  warehouses  and  caches.  In  the 
foreground  a  dog  team  is  struggling  up  the  slope 
while  the  driver  assists  in  tugging  at  the  load.  In  the 
rear  follow  in  single  flie  a  line  of  weary  men  bearing  their 
heavy  packs.  There  is  nothing  here  to  indicate  perman- 
ency or  con^fort,  but  on  the.  contrary,  everything  suggests  a 
temporary  abiding  place  and  an  earnest,  persevering  en- 
deavor to  reach  some  coveted  goal  beyond. 


for  Dinner,  Sheep 


No.  64. 

Dr.  J.  Jones'  Residence,  Preparing 

Gtnup. 

Here  we  have  a  representation  of  the  office  and  domicile 
of  the  leading  physician  of  Sheep  Camp.  We  must  not 
forget  that  the  argonauts  were  heirs  to  all  the  ills  of  human 
flesh  and  therefore  the  good  doctor  was  in  great  demand. 
In  1897  Dr.  J.  Jones  commanded  -a  lucrative  practice  in 
Evaqston,  111. ,  where  he  was  chairman  of  the  city  Board  of 
Health.  Mr.  George  B.  Winter  was  one  of  the  successful 
grocers  of  the  same  city.  About  this  time  the  instigator 
and  promoter  of  a  Klondike  Gold  Mining  Company  ap- 

E eared  upon  the  scene  and  cleverly  dissemmated  a  prolific 
rood  of  "yellow  fever"  germs.  This  seed  fell  upon  ex- 
ceeding good  ground  and  soon  bore  a  generous  liarvest — 
for  the  promoter.  Jones  abandoned  his  practice  and  Win- 
ter sold  out  his  business.  Each  prospective  millionaire 
member  of  the  Evanston  Klondike  Gold  Mining  Company 
paid  to  the  promoter  several  hundred  dollars  to  be  used  as 
a  "  working  capital "  for  the  purchase  of  necessary  sup- 
plies and  the  development  of  rich  placer  claims.  The  plan 
was  to  proceed  to  the  gold  fields  by  way  of  the  formidable 
Chiikoot  Pass,  shovel  and  pan  and  sack  as  much  of  the 
royal  metal  as  they  could  carry  and  then  return  to  Evans- 
ton  with  new  garments,  amid  the  blare  of  bannered  trum- 
pets, feasting  and  revelry. 


.__1, 


36  A  TRIP  TO  THE  OOLD  ritLDS  Or  ALASKA 

The  brave,  jfenerous  and  seH-sacrificing  promoter  vojun- 
tcered  to  precede  the  party  and  prepai'e  for  their  coming;. 
Sinffle  handed  and  alone  he  wouhl  purchase  the  supplies, 
arrange  for  the  transportation,  push  aside  the  rugged 
boulders  on  the  trail,  and,  as  it  were,  strew  with  flowers 
their  pathway  to  the  fields  of  gold.  And  thus  he  went, 
bearing  the  money  with  him.  At  the  appointed  time 
the  "  Evanston  Klondike  Gold  Mining  Company"  fol- 
lowed to  the  trysting  place — but,  lo,  the  kind  promoter  was 
not  there,  neither  was  the  money  nor  the  supplies,  nor  yet 
the  flowers— nothing  but  the  bouUlers  and  the  trail.  Their 
visions  of  gold  had  proved  but  a  North  Sea  bubbly,  which 
speedily  burst,  enveloping  its  victims  in  a  chillmg  mist. 
The  promoter,  alone,  r-i.ssed  this  mist,  though  he  himself 
was  missed. 

However,  the  "Company"  pushed  on  as  far  as  Sheep 
Camp,  where  Dr.  Jones  "hung  out  his  shingle,"  o.-  rather 
painted  it  on  the  roof  of  his  tent,  and  Mr.  Winter  engaged 
as  his  assistant.  The  fame  of  the  doctor  soon  spread 
abroad  in  this  portable  Arctic  city  and  his  practice  grew 
apace.  Klondike  fees  were  charged  and  collected,  and 
thus  the  doctor  retrieved  a  goodly  portion  of  the  money 
he  had  invested  in  the  "  promoter,"  but  a  majority  of  the 
"Company  "  returned  to  Evanston  late  in  the  summer  of 
1898,  sadder,  poorer  ind  wisci  men.  . 

No.  65. 
Red  Front  Store,  Sheep  Gtmp. 
Passing  along  the  main  street  we  observe  a  few  more 
or  less  pretentious  merchandising  establ'^hraents  with  a 
liberal  display  of  such  supplies  and  wares  i»£  are  most  need- 
ed in  an  Arctic  mining  camp.  These  stores  are  of  rude 
and  cheap  construction,  usually  thrown  together  of  such 
material  as  chanced  to  be  most  available,  and  without 
further  architectural  design  than  simply  to  afford  shelter. 

No.  66. 
The  LcjuUng  Store  in  Sheep  Camp. 
"*  '"    In  some  of  these  establishments  we  find  a  combination 
of  general  merchandising  establishment,  drug  store,  res- 
taurant and  lodging  house.    The  unprotected  manner  in 


■o^rw 


TMROUOH  THR  STBRKOSCOPK. 


37 


tun- 
ing, 
lies, 

wen 
'cnt, 
time 
fol- 
"waa 
'  yet 
:heir 
hich 
mist, 
nself 

heep 
ither 
aged 
>read 
grew 
,  and 
oney 
f  the 
ler  of 


more 
ith  a 
need- 
rude 
such 
thout 
elter. 


lation 
,  res- 

ter  in 


which  the  goods  were  displayed  in  front  of  these  stores  in- 
dicates the  absoluta  confidence  which  was  reposed  by  the 
dealers  in  the  integrity  of  the  argonauts,  and  it  should  be 
added  that  this  confidence  was  seldom  violated. 

No.  67. 

Couttnty**  Store  and  Pott  Office,  Sheep  Camp. 

In  this  view  we  have  a  combination  of  grocery  store, 
post-office,  laundry,  and  hay  and  grain  warehouse,  as  well 
as  a  Miner's  Exchange;  for  one  of  the  signs  on  the  front 
post  announces  tha'.  outfits  will  be  bought  as  well  as  sold. 
We  also  observe  that  "spuds"  are  valued  at  seven  cents  per 
pound,  while  the  pleasant,  smiling  features  of  the  little  girl 
in  the  foreground  assure  us  that  the  happiness  of  children 
is  neverdependent  upon  their  environments.  Mr.  Courtney, 
the  proprietor,  was  fortunate  in  having  with  him  his  family, 
and  his  wife  is  seen  at  the  doorway  of  the  tent  attending 
to  the  wants  of  a  waiting  customer. 

The  sign  over  the  doorway  advertising  a  "five  cent 
mail,"  or  ten  cents  from  Dyea  to  the  lakes,  would  not  be 
understood  by  a  stranger.  It  must  be  remembered  that 
we  are  now  very  near  to  the  international  line  which  di- 
vides Alaska  from  Canadian  territory.  At  this  time  no 
provision  had  been  made  by  our  Government  for  the  trans- 
portation of  mails  beyond  Dyea,  and  therefore  the  thous- 
ands of  people  who  were  moving  their  supplies  to  and 
beyond  Sheep  Camp  found  it  necessary  to  arrange 
for  a  private  mail  service  from  Dyea.  For  several  months 
a  fee  of  ten  cents'  was  charged  for  carrying  a  single  letter 
from  Dyea  to  Sheep  Camp,  and  9.5  cents  for  carrying  a  letter 
from  Dyea  to  Lake  Lindermwn,  but  Mr.  Courtney  was  a 
man  who  believed  in  competition  and  therefore  established 
an  opposition  mail  service,  contracting  to  carry  letters 
from  Dyea  to  Sheep  Camp  for  five  cents  each,  and  from 
Dyea  to  the  lakes  for  ten  cents.  This  private  mail  service 
developed  into  an  extensive  and  profitable  business. 

No.  68. 

U.  &  Pof t  Offke  Inapcctor,  John  P.  Qunv  <m  Hii  Trip 
Through  Alaika. 
'  The  residents  of  Sheep  Camp  and  Dyea  Trail  were 


^  mjr 


..l.-f-''' 


38 


A  TRIP  TO  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA 


greatly  pleased  when  it  was  announced  that  an  Inspector 
representing  the  Post  Office  Departmertt  had  arrived  ipon 
the  ground  for  the  purpose  of  arranging  for  a  post  office 
and  a  regular  mail  service  between  Dyfta  and  Sheep  Camp. 
In  this  view  we  see  the  inspector  as  he  appeared  astride 
of  a  Government  mule  whik  making  a  tour  of  Sheep  Camp 
and  arranging  for  the  location  of  a  post  office  and  the 
appointment  of  a  postmaster.  It  may  be  mentioned  that 
the  mule  represented  in  this  view  was  one  of  a  large  drove 
of  pack  mules  sent  by  the  Government  from  Montana  to 
Dyea  to  be  used  for  the  purpose  of  transporting  supplies 
to  the  interior,  in  case  this  should  become  necessary  to 
save  from  starvation  thos  i  miners  who  had  spent  the  win- 
ter in  the  vicinity  of  Dawson  and  the  Klondike. 


No.  69. 
The  **tSixicts*  Friend"  at  Lunch,  Sheep  Camp,  Alaska. 

That  useful  little  animal  which  patiently  bears  the  name 
of  "burro"  as  a  heritage  from-the  old  Spanish  occupation 
of  the  great  Southwest,  was  a  picijeer  of  civilization,  not 
only  in  Palestine  and  Egypt,  and  later  in  Mexico,  but  has 
also  figured  conspicuously  in  the  development  of  our 
Western  frontier  where  his  form  has  become  familiar  to 
the  chronic  traveler,  and,  therefore,  when  we  found  him 
in  Alaska  mingling  with  the  eager  throng  of  gold  seekers, 
we  felt  like  shaking  hands  w  >h  an  old  friend.  In  Arizona 
the  "burro"  appeared  to  thn/e  on  shavings,  tiacans  and 
pickings  from  ash  piles,  but  the  snow  drifts  and  blizzards 
of  the  fhr  North  were  illy  suited  to  the  delicate  appetite  of 
this  docile  and  submissive  beast  of  burden.  Besides  be- 
ing patient  and  docile,  the  burro  is  also  strong,  sure- 
footed, econoK5cal  and  seems  to  have  learned  like  Paul 
and  the  Mexicans,  with  whatsoever  lot  he  has,  therewith 
to  be  content.  These  characteristics  have  long  since  en- 
titled the  burro  to  recognition  as  "the  miners'  friend" 
and  in  this  view  we  see  a  small  group  huddled  together  in 
a  aot  very  substantial  but  picturesque  "corral",  munching 
their  noon-day  meal  in  a  most  sociable  manner. 


mr 


J. 


n  inspector 
rived  ipon 
post  office 
leep  Camp, 
ired  astride 
heep  Camp 
ce  and  the 
tioned  that 
large  drove 
Montana  to 
ng  supplies 
ecessarjr  to 
snt  the  win- 
e. 


xpt  Alaska* 

irs  the  name 
occupation 
[ization,  not 
tco,'but  has 
lent  of  our 
familiar  to 
found  him 
old  seekers, 
In  Arizona 
ia  cans  and 
nd  blizzards 
e  appetite  of 
Besides  be- 
trong,  sure- 
id  like  Paul 
IS,  therewith 
ing  since  en- 
ers'  friend" 
1  together  in 
",  munching 
sr. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE.  39 

No.  70. 
The  ^*Miners*  Friend**  at  Lunch,  Sheep  Camp,  Alaska. 

The  burro,  unlike  Othello  and  the  Coxeyites,  is  never 
without  an  occupation.  He  has  followed  in  the  wake  of 
the  caravan,  slept  in  the  shadow  of  the  prairie  schooner, 
raised  his  familiar  nightingale  voice  in  response  to  the 
shrill  whistle  of  the  locomotive,  and  here  on  the  Dyea  trail 
he  views  with  composure  and  incredulity  his  latest  rival  as 
a  means  of  transportation, — the  elevated  tram. 

No.  71, 

The  Morgrti^  After  the  Snow  Slide  of  April  3,  f  89S,  Sheep 

Gtmp,  Alaska. 

It  was  not  until  the  railroad  and  steamships  had  been 
abandoned  for  the  trails  to  the  Klondike  that  the  argo- 
nauts encountered  those  labors,  privations  and  disasters 
which  have  added  chapter  after  chapter  to  the  horrors  of 
the  Dyea  trail  and  the  dreadful  Chilkoot  Pass,  and  many 
a  thrilling  and  pathetic  story  has  passed  into  oblivion, — 
ended  and  lost  in  the  tragic  death  of  its  hero. 

It  was  our  fortune  to  arrive  in  Sheep  Camp  just  in 
time  to  witness  the  melancholy  results  of  the  fatal  snow 
slide  which  swept  across  a  portion  of  the  Dyea  trail  on  the 
morning  of  April  3,  1898,  burying  beneath  its  ponderous 
weight  nearly  three  score  of  these  adventurers.  The  work 
of  rescue  was  already  in  progress  and  as  the  bodies  were 
recovered  from  their  frosty  sepulchre  they  were  placed  on 
Yukon  sleds  and  carefully  transported  to  a  large  tent 
located  near  the  center  of  Sheep  Camp  which  had  been 
.  temporarily  transformed  into  a  morgue.  As  fast  as  the 
bodies  were  identified  and  claimed  by  friends  they  were 
removed  and  prepared  for  burial.  It  was  indeed  a  sad- 
dening and  awful  spectacle.  Business  of  all  kinds  had  been 
suspended.  The  gold  seekers  gathered  in  large'  groupt; 
and  discussed  the  awful  calamity  which  had  interposed 
itself  in  their  path.  At  irregular  intervals  little  proces- 
sions passed  through  the  narrow  and  winding  street  of 
this  transient  city  dragging  upon  a  low  slet}  the  rigid  form  of 
some  luckless  victim,  who  but  a  little  time  before  had  been 
iE>ne  of  the  most  eager  and  hopeful  of  that  eJger  and  hopeful 


m^ 


A 


a-S'a'T?w-..-^ 


40  A  TRIP  TO  THE  GOLF  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA 

throng.  The  scenes  were  weird  and  dismal.  Death,  al- 
ways dreaded,  seemed  doubly  grim  and  dreadful  in  those 
remote,  blenk  and  inhospitable  waste  places  of  the  North 
where  a  majority  of  the  dead  were  so  far  removed  from 
happy  homes  and  the  ministrations  of  loving  hearts  and 
hands. 

No.  72. 
Sheep  Gunp  from  a  Store  House* 
From  Sheep  Camp  we  proceed  on  our  journey 
toward  the  pass.  We  here  observe  the  "caches"  along 
the  trail.  Heaps  of  supplies  are  visible  everywhere.  It 
was  not  the  passing  of  the  person  bat  the  transportation 
of  the  outfits  that  gave  to  the  trails  their  greatest  terrors 
and  tragedies.  Packers'  rates  from  Dyea  to  Lake  Linder- 
man,  28  miles,  ranged  from  30  to  50  cents  per  pound  for 
months  during  the  stampede.  Thousands  could  pot 
afford  these,  or  any  other  rates,  so  they  tugged  and  lug- 
ged up  the  steep,  slippery  and  narrow  grades  with  a  hun- 
dred or  more  pounds,  for  a  mile  or  more,  when  the  load 
was  deposited  or  "cached."  •  The  distance  back  to  the 
former  cache  was  then  covered  again  and  again  until  the 
entire  outfit  of  1,000,  1,500  or  a, 000  was  brought  up. 
The  last  load  was  not  deposited,  but  carried  to  where  a 
new  cache  was  started. 

No.  73. 
GoM  Miners  and  their  Dog  Teams,  Dyea  Trait 
It  was  thus  that  the  pilgrims  to  the  Yukon  toiled  and 
struggled  in  the  midst  of  the  rigors  of  the  Arctic  winter, 
many  pooriy  sheltered  at  night,  subsisting  on  food  uncer- 
tain in  quality,  limited  in  variety  and  faulty  in  preparation. 
We  see  in  this  view  a  group  of  those  faithful  dogs  who 
did  so  much  to  aid  the  Yukoners  on  their  march  to  the 
interior,  but  notwithstanding  the  effective  service  rendered 
by  these  noble  animals  they  were  frequendy  shown  but 
little  consideration  or  mercy.     Indeed,  the  brutal  cruelty 
practiced  towards  those  faithful  beast^  of  burden,  horses 
as  well  as  dogs,  would,  if  truly  narrated,  occupy  many 
pages  in  the  sad  fetory  of  the  horrors  and  tragedies  of  the 
trail.    The  noWe,  patient,  dumb  animals  labored,  sufler- 


<VF* 


J, 


eath,  al- 
io those 
he  North 
ired  from 
;arts  and 


journey 
a"  along 
here.  It 
iportation 
St  terrors 
e  Linder- 
tound  for 
lould  not 

and  lug- 
th  a  hun- 

the  load 
ck  to  the 

until  the 
mght  up. 
0  where  a 


Tttkl 

toiled  and 
:ic  winter, 
x)d  uncer- 
eparation. 
dogs  who 
rch  to  the 
:e  rendered 
shown  but 
tal  cruelty 
en,  horses 
:upy  many 
dies  of  the 
red,  suffer- 


«|ji)f~ 


THROUGll  THK  STEREOSCOPE. 


41 


ed,  endured  and  perished, — martyrs  to  the  inhumanity  of 
human  avarice. 

Ko.  74. 
On  the  Dyea  T/aiL 

We  have  in  this  view  an  extraordinarily  realistic  panora- 
ma of  the  Dyea  Trail  just  before  it  passes  the  track  of  the 
fatal  avalanche.  The  scene  is  indeed  rugged,  bleak  and 
uninviting,  and  the  trail  slippery,  tortuous  and  difficult, 
enabling  us  to  comprehend  in  some  degree,  the  courage 
and  endurance  essential  to  the  success  of  such  an  under- 
taking as  '.hat  in  which  this  vast  army  was  engaged. 

There  were  not  a  few  here  who  had  been  made  desper- 
ate through  years  of  struggle  with  low  wages  and  adverse 
cirumstances.  These  cheerfully  dared  and  endured  in  the 
hope  of  delivering  themselves  from  the  bondage  of  per- 
petual poverty,  and  they  even  found  solace  in  the  contemp- 
lation that  if  an  early  death  awaited  them,  they  should  at 
least  be  free  from  the  tyranny  of  life. 

Before  leaving  this  scene  we  should  observe  the  line 
of  telephone  poles  which  appears  upon  the  right  of  the 
trail.  A  telephone  line  had  been  constructed  from  Dyea 
to  Chilkoot  summit  which  proved  a  great  convenience  to 
the  crusaders.  Located  in  the  center  of  the  ravine  we 
notice  three  of  the  uprights  supporting  the  aerial  tramway, 
which  extends  from  the  mouth  of  the  canyon  to  the  sum- 
mit of  the  pass  and  of  which  we  shall  see  more  in  the 
near  future. 

No.  75. 
Qtizens  of  Ohio  En  Route  to  the  Kbndike* 
We  have  in  this  view  an  illustration  of  rapid  transit  on 
the  Dyea  trail.  In  fact,  this  train  might  properly  be  des- 
ignated as  the  Chilkoot  "Oxpress."  The  citiwns  repre- 
wnfbd  may  have  hailed  from  Ohio,  but  the  conditions  ou 
the  trail  were  such  as  to  completely  obliterate  anything  like 
state  characteristics.  There  was  little  respectirg  of  per- 
sons in  this  multitude.  All  classes  were  represented;  la- 
borers, clerks,  merchants,  bankers,  lawyers,  physicians 
and  miniitters  mingled  in  the  adventurous  throng.  The 
difficulties  and  necessities  of  ^he  situation  leveled  all  ranka 


''4 


4« 


A  TRIP  TO  THK  OOLD  FIKLDS  OP  ALASKA 


and  the  observer  recognized  only  frail  humanity  straggling 
in  the  mass. 

No.  76. 

Searching;  iof  the  Dead  After  the  Snow-sU<le  of  April  3^ 

t89S. 

We  have  no^  arrived  upon  a  scene  of  unusual  interest. 
The  building  represented  is  the  last  power  house  of  the 
Tramway  Company  before  the  summit  is  reached.  The 
foreground  includes  a  portion  of  the  trail  which  was  swept 
by  the  fatal  avalanche  of  April  3,  1S98,  while  toward  the 
left  in  the  background,  if  we  look  caVfuUy,  we  shall  ob- 
serve that  so-called  line  of  human  ants  persistently  creep- 
ing through  a  niche  in  the  mountain's  crest.  This  is  our 
first  glimpse  of  the  summit  of  the  dreaded  Chilkoot.  We 
pause  for  rest  and  reflection. 

On  either  side  of  the  trail  here  the  mountains  rise 
abrupt  and  rugged.  The  masses  of  snow  which  had 
gat^iered  upon  the  precipitous  cliffs  during  the  storms  of 
winter  had  been  softened  by  a  southerly  wind.  It  was 
Sunday  morning;  warning  of  danger  had  been  given,  and 
some  of  the  victims  were  fleeing  to  places  of  safety.  Be- 
tween twenty  and  thirtjr  had  jiist  left  the  power  house;  a 
few  moments  more  and  a  majority  would  have  escaped, 
but  fate  had  fixed  their  destiny.  In  the  midst  of  a  blind- 
ing snow  storm  came  the  thunder  of  the  mighty  avalanche, 
and  in  a  twinkling  three  score  of  those  weary,  hopeful 
toilers  who  had  struggled  with  their  supplies  to  the  very 
gateway  of  the  land  of  promise,  were  swept  into  eternity. 

No.  77. 

Searching:  for  the  Dead  After  the  Snow-slide  of  April  3» 

1898. 

The  roar  of  the  slide  could  be  distinctly  heard  at  Sheep 
Camp,  and  the  news  of  the  disaster  was  quickly  imparted. 
A  thousand  sympathetic  hrarts  responded  to  the  call  for 
rescue,  and  during  the  remainder  of  that  memorable  Sun- 
day, and  for  three  days  tollowing.  that  eager  rush  towards 
the  Klondike  was  suspended,  while  rr'  .ys  of  several  hun- 
dred each,  made  up  from  those  thousands  of  weather  beat- 
en adventurers,  tunnelled  and  escavated  throughout  the 


n!r 


i. 


THROUGH  THK  STEREOSCOPE. 


43 


length  and  breadth  and  depth  of  that  mighty  sea  of  mow, 
searching  for  the  dead.  Only  three  of  those  caught  in 
the  slide  escaped  alive.  On  April  5th  it  was  our  melan- 
choly privilege  to  aid  in  this  work  of  rescue.  Fifty-two 
bodies  were  recovered  at  that  time,  and  the  influence  of 
the  summer  sun  has  since  disclosed  four  others. 

There  is  no  suggestion  of  an  irresistible  and  death-deal- 
ing force  lurking  in  the  tiny  snowflake  nestling  on  a  petal 
of  the  last  rose  of  summer.  Expansive  mantles  of  ermine 
hung  like  seamless  draperies  from  the  crests  and 
shoulders  of  those  towering  Arctic  mouiptains,  giving  to 
the  myriads  of  domes  and  pyramids  and  peaks  a  peaceful, 
dignified  and  glorious  appearance  as  they  gleamed  and 
glistened  in  the  sunlight  like  stately  monuments  of  purest 
alabaster. 

Even  after  the  mighty  avalanche  of  April  3rd  had  ac- 
complished its  swift  work  of  death,  one  might  have  passed 
its  unruffled  crest  little  dreaming  that  it  was  at  once  the 
cruel  shroud  and  silent  tomb  of  scores  of  luckless  mortals 
who  had  been  overwhelmed  by  the  ele;sients'  mad  rush, 
and  their  helpless  forms  hermetically  sealed  in  the  icy, 
vice-like  grasp  of  the  remorseless  storm  king  of  the  Chil- 
koot. 

No.  78. 

Distant  View  of  ChUkoot  Pass. 

The  series  of  funeral  services  are  ended.  The  solema 
«dust  to  dust,  ashes  to  ashes"'  has  been  repeated  over  the 
last  victim  of  Jthe  avalanche,  once  more  the  thous- 
ands have  taken  up  their  line  of  march  to  the  Yukon 
and  all  is  bustle  and  activity  along  the  trail.  Proceeding  a 
short  distance  beyond  the  track  of  the  snow-slide  and  sud- 
denly the  icy  stairway  to  the  summit  appears  in  full  view, 
presenting  a  spectacle  all  were  e«tger  to  behold;  notwith-  ' 
standing  it  interposed  the  most  formidable  and  dreaded 
barrier  of  the  trail.  From  the  point  where  this  view  was 
taken  the  cab'  s  of  the  aerial  tram  stretch  away  to  the 
summit,  and  where  they  pass  over  the  camp  at  the  foot  of 
the  grade  the  cables  attain  their  greatest  altitude. 

On  the  right  of  the  picture,  we  notice  the  Petersoii 
trail,  which,  though  less  precipitous,  was  much  less  pop- 
ular than  the  direct  climb  to  the  summit,  on  account  of 


iBT 


'A,-.T 


■■'I 


.'' '  ■ 


♦t 


44 


A  TRIP  TO  THK  GOLD  FIKLDS  OF  ALASKA 


its  greater  length  and  the  extra  time  consumed  in  making 
the  ascent. 

No.  79. 

Preparing  to  Oimb  the  *'GoI<kn  Staif''  and  Peterion't 

TraiU  Chilkoot  Past,  Alaska. 

Approaching  nearer  this  last  grand  climb  to  the  sum- 
mit and  we  are  afforded  a  realistic  panorama  of  those 
scenes  which  were  daily  enacted  at  the  foot  of  the  pass. 
Here  the  last  caches  preparatory  to  the  final  struggle  to 
the  mountain's  crest  are  made.  Beyond  this  point  the  pack 
mules  and  other  animals  were  of  no  value,  and  those  who 
had  not  arranged  for  the  transportation  of  their  supplies  over 
the  tramway  had  no  alternative  except  to  trudge  with  them 
up  this  steep  and  wearisome  climb.  Here  we  observe 
overhead  the  cables  of  the  tramway,  with  several  bucketo 
passing  to  and  from  the  pass.  This  tram  was  operated  by 
steam  power,  and  buckets  with  a  capacity  of  two  hundred 
pounds  of  freight  each,  were  suspended  upon  the  cable  at 
intervals  of  about  one  hundred  yards. 

No.  80. 

Klondifcers  Climbing  the  **Gol<Jen  Staif^  and  PetenjKm'i 
Trail,  Chilkoot^  Alaska. 

Many  of  us  who  are  accustomed  to  mountains  and 
mountain  climbing  would  regard  it  an  exciting  and  exhila- 
rating exercise  to  cross  the  Chilkoot  JPass  unencumbered 
on  a  bright  day;  but  when  the  storm  threatens  and  the 
clouds  gather  and  the  darkness  lowers  and  the  tempest 
shrieks  and  the  snow  blinds  and  the  frosts  sear,  then  the 
bravest  and  the  hardiest  hasten  to  find  secure  shelter. 

The  pass  w.as  not  so  fonnidable  for  the  Yukoner  to 
cross  in  person,  but  many  have  endured  untold  hardships 
in  packing  their  supplies  between  Dyea  and  Lake  Linder- 
man.  Such  penance  is  no  longer  necessary  to  those  who 
are  able  to  pay  the  freight  rates  charged  by  the  Tramway 
Company,  which  we  found  to  be  reasonable. 


_i_ 


;We; 


'^ '  ■ 


n  making 


Bterson'i 


the  sttin- 
of  those 
the  pass. 
Tuggle  to 
t  the  pack 
those  who 
;>pIiesover 
with  them 
e  observe 
il  buckets 
)erated  by 
9  hundred 
le  cable  at 


PeteiijKm's 


itains  and 
md  exhila- 
Bcumbered 
ts  and  the 
le  tempest 
,  then  the 
ihelter. 
'ukoner  to 

hardsliipt 
ke  Linder- 

those  who 
i  Tramway 


THROUGH  THE  STKRIOSCOPX. 

No.  8i. 
At  the  Foot  of  the  Chilkoot. 


45 


.  This  view  illustrates  that  activity  which  was  daily  mani- 
fested by  the  argonauts  who  had  proceeded  thus  far  on 
their  journey.  We  observe  the  trenches  in  the  snow 
drifts,  made  for  the  purpose  of  uncovering  supplies  which 
had  been  buried  by  the  storms  and  slides  since  they  were 
deposited  here.  j  ^^  ^ 

No.  82. 
Gold  Miners  and  Packen  on  the  Dyea  Trait 
At  the  foot  of  the  grade  was  a  small  power  house  and 
here   the  packs  were  weighed  and  arranged.     Here   the 

1  "i"*'!:  I"?**'.  *^*  ^'"'°'  P»'»«**  company  with  his 
load,  which  then  became  "the  white  man's  burden  "  As 
soon  as  the  packs  had  been  adjusted  the  men  took  their 
places  at  the  foot  of  the  grade  and  proceeded  upward  as 
opportunity  was  afforded.  Many  were  provided  with  alpine 
stocks  to  aid  them  in  the  difficult  climb.  The  packs  were 
of  great  variety  as  to  their  shape,  weight  and  contents. 

In  the  foreground  to  the  left  we  observe  one  of  those 
heroic  women  who  joined  in  the  crusade  to  the  gold  fields 
and  while  leaning  upon  a  bale  of  hay  in  the  midst  of  con' 
fused  masses  of  supplies,  she  is  looking  backwarr^s  over 
the  trail,  although  we  are  sure  she  has  no  desire  to  move 
except  in  the  other  direction. 

No.  83. 
Klondikera  Starting  «p  the  *^Men  Stair,**  Chilkoot 
Pass,  Alaska. 
Having  secured  a  place  in  line  we  were  compelled  to 
irait  for  the  man  ahead  to  remove  his  foot  from  each  suc- 
cessive step  before  we  could  advance  and  likewise  found  it 
necessary  to  keep  moving  out  of  the  way  of  the  man  who 
followed  close  upon  our  heels. 

At  this  part  of  the  trail  we  observed  a  portion  of  the 
surface  cable  by  means  of  which  goods  were  transported  on 
sleds  from  the  foot  of  this  grade  to  the  summit,  the  power 
being  furnished  by  a  gasoline  engine. 


i 


46  A  TRIP  to  TMK  OOLD  fllLttS  Of  ALASKA 

No.  84. 
Bottni  for  the  Klondike  GoM  Fields,  Oiilkoot  Pass, 

Alaska. 

The  grade  is  very  steep  and  a  life  line  was  stretched  from 
the  foot  of  the  stairway  to  the  summit.  A  thousand  icy 
steps  were  cut  in  the  hardened  snow. 

There  are  numberless  stfcep  mountain  grades  and  many 
difficult  passes,  but  there  never  was  but  one  Chilkoot,  and 
the  scenes  and  experiences  it  afforded  during  this  crusade 
will  never  be  forgotten  by  those  who  witnessed  them,  nor 
will  tliose  scenes  ever  be  repeated. 


No.  85. 
Gold  Mlnen  dimbing  to  the  Sommit  of  Chilkoot  Pass. 
The  white  packers  carry  from  75  to  150  pounds  at  a 
time,  while  the  Indians  carry  from  100  to  250  pounds  each. 
If  we  weary  during  the  ascent  there  are,  at  short  intervals, 
small  balconies  on  the  left  of  the  trail  dug  in  the  snow 
drifts  where  we  may  step  aside  and  rest.  An  unwritten 
law  forbids  that  any  one  shall  descend  the  stairway,  for  it 
this  were  permitted  the  steps  would  soon  be  destroyed  by 
the  force  of  the  downward  tread.  The  life  line  which 
formed  the  balustrcde  to  this  Jacob's  Ladder  to  the  LhU- 
koot,  is  plainly  seen  in  this  view.  The  nearness  with 
which  this  grade  approached  the  perpendicular  «  forcibly 

Indicated  here.  , 

In  descending  this  grade  the  regular  packers  redeemed 
some  of  the  time  consumed  In  the  ascent.     They  had  a 
sort  of  padded  canvass  toboggan  sewed  to  the  proper  place 
or  position  on  their  garments  and  when  they  were  ready  to 
make  the  descent  they  simply  stepped  a  few  paces  to  the 
right  of  the  stairway  and  sitting  down  on  the  brink  of  tne- 
mountain  they  shut  their  eyes  and  let  go.     Gravity  did  the 
rest.     In  a  few  seconds  they  gathered  themselves  up  at  the 
foot  of  the  grade,  shook  off  the  snow  and  proceeded  to  weigh 
and  adjust  another  pack.    This  was  shooting  the  chutes  with 
a  vengeance  and  suggests  the  Chinaman's  idea  of  a  tobog- 
gan slide,  who,  when  asked  for  a  description  of  his  exper- 
ience simply  replied:    "Him  alle  sarnie  swlsh-sh-sh-sh,— 
walkieback  a  mile." 


TSSSS^fSS 


-'*      -  — . i 


OOt  TiMt 

ched  from 
tuiand  icy 

and  many 
Ikoot,  and 
lis  crusade 
them,  nor 


IcOOtPMS* 

)und8  at  a 
unds  each, 
t  intervals, 
1  the  snow 
.  unwritten 
way,  for  if 
istroyed  by 
line  which 
:o  the  Chil- 
irness  with 
■  is  forcibly 

1  redeemed 
They  had  a 
troper  place 
ere  ready  to 
>aces  to  the 
Drink  of  the 
ivity  did  the 
res  up  at  the 
ded  to  weigh 
!  chutes  with 
I  of  a  tobog- 
>f  his  exper- 
i-sh-sh-sh, — 


THROUGH  THI  STIKEOSCOPK. 

No.  86, 


47 


Miticrs  And  Packers  CttmUng  the  '^Iden  Stair^  Trail 

In  this  view  we  »"»ve  ascended  about  one-fourth  of  the 
icy  stairway  and  pause  a  moment  to  rest  and  view  the 
strange,  stupendous  and  impressive  panorama  which 
spreads  away  before  us  down  the  trail  and  through 
the  openings  of  the  great  canyon  towards  Dyea.  The  throng 
here  represented  faithfully  depicts  the  conditions  which 
prevailed  along  the  Dyea  trail  and  on  the  Chilkoot  Pass 
for  months  during  the  progress  of  this  crusade.  From 
morning  till  night,  and  day  after  day,  this  line  of  struggling, 
hopeful,  silent  men  toiled  up  this  steep  and  difficult 
grade.  Their  numbers  and  the  close  order  of  their  march 
required  a  measure  to  their  tread  which  will  pass  down  in 
history  as  the  famous  "lock-step  of  the  Chilkoot." 

The  climbing  of  the  Jacob's  ladder  of  the  Chilkoot  was 
finally  accomplished,  the  last  icy  step  was  measured,  and 
before  our  interested  vision  there  was  displayed  a  strange 
and  wonderful  scene.  We  could  scarcely  realize  that  we 
were  .ctually  standing  on  the  very  summit  of  the  famed, 
the  rearful,  the  glorious  Chilkoot  Pass. 


No.  87. 
Klondikers  in  CouncU. 

After  the  summit  of  t^e  pass  had  been  reached  then 
began  the  journey  to  the  lakes  and  although  the  greater 
portion  of  the  trail  was  down  grade,  there  was  the  same 
proportion  of  wearUome  marches  back  and  forth  as  the 
supplies  were  gradually  moved  from  cache  to  cache.  In 
th's  view  we  have  a  representation  of  a  party  resting  on 
the  trail  and  evidently  discussing  the  experiences  of  the 
past  and  the  anticipations  of  th«*  future. 

In  these  'inhospitable  solitudes  it  occurred  to  us  that 
Robinson '  Crusoe  must  have  undergone  some  tedious 
rehearsals  before  he  acquired  that  perfect  resignation  to 
Providence  which  so  delights  us — when  told  in  stories. 


J 


i 


^ 


tA^ 


m^am 


ill 


48  A  TfttP  to  THE  GOLD  rilLDB  Ot  ALASKA 

No.  88. 

«Blg  Tree  Store,**  on  the  Trail  from  Chllkoot  PtM  to 
Lftke  Undemuttv  Alaska. 
The  majority  of  those  who  croited  the  pass  stopped 
either  at  Lake  Llnderman  or  Lake  Bennett  for  the  pur- 
pose of  constructing  boats  for  the  journey  down  the  Yukon. 
The  advance  of  the  crusaders  rendered  it  necessary  for  the 
merchants  to  move  their  supplies  at  an  equal  pace.     Suit- 
able buildings  were  not  available  at  the  front,  and  the 
goods  and  chattels  which  comprised  the  stock  of  the  mer- 
chants were  deposited  at  some  convenient  point  on  the 
trail,  and  the  p.oprietor  was  forthwith  ready  for  business. 
We  see  here  a  representation  of  an  impromptu  store  locat- 
ed beneath  a  Urge  tree  by  the  wayside,  while  the  merchant 
is  taking  the  order  of  a  Klondiker  for  the  delivery  of  such 
supplies  as  he  may  need  to  complete  his  outfit.    This  par- 
ticular merchant  was  known  on  the  Dyea  trail  and  the 
lakes  as  Dr.  Cleveland.     He  had  been  formerly  quite  well 
known  in  Washington,  D.  C.     Having  features  somewhat 
similar  to  Lincoln,  he  affected  the  style  of  dress  and  hat 
worn  by  the  martyred  President,  which  made  the  resem- 
blance still  more  striking. 

Dr.  Cleveland  was  one  of  the  most  expert  canoeists  on 
the  lakes,  and  shot  the  rapids  between  Lakes  Llnderman 
and  Bennett  several  times  in  his  canoes.  These  rapids 
were  exceedingly  swift  and  dangerous  and  the  daring  feats 
of  the  doctor  in  running  them  invariably  drew  large  crowds 
of  admiring  witnesses  to  the  brink  of  the  canyon.  Dr. 
Cleveland  may  have  been  regarded  as  a  crank  in  Washing- 
ton, but  his  skill  as  a  boatman  and  his  coolness  and  un- 
flinching courage  in  the  midst  of  seething  waters  and  dan- 
gerous rocks  made  him  the  hero  of  the  day  at  Llnderman 
Rapids. 

No.  89. 
A  Happy  Hooie  in  Alaska* 
A  family  residence  in  Alaska  was  not  necessarily  a  very 
elaborate  affair,  as  may  be  inferred  from  the  structure  rep- 
resented in  this  scene.  A  six  by  eight  wall  tent,  supported 
by  a  couple  of  rude  poles,  with  the  ineviuble  Yukon  stove, 
a  cracker  box  or  two  and  a  roll  of  blankets  completed  the 


mr 


J -._.. 


Put  to 

■topped 
the  pur- 
le  Yukon. 
xy  for  the 
:e.  Suit- 
,  and  the 

the  mer- 
it on  the 
busineis. 
ore  locat- 
merchant 
ry  of  such 
Thii  par- 
l  and  the 
quite  well 
somewhat 
IS  and  hat 
;he  resem- 

noeisti  on 
^inderman 
ese  rapids 
iring  feats 
rge  crowds 
yon.  Dr. 
I  Washing- 
ss  and  un- 
I  and  dan- 
Linderman 


irily  a  very 
actare  rep- 
,  supported 
ikon  stove, 
apleted  the 


THROUGH  THR  BTEREOSCOPB.  49 

establishment,  and  yet  the  dwellers  therein  manifested  a 
reasonable  measure  of  contentment  and  endeavored  to 
persuade  themselves  that  they  were  simply  enjoying  an 
outing  in  the  forests. 

There  were  many  familit's  who  joined  in  this  crusade, 
in  some  of  which  there  were  oeveral  children,  while  not  a 
few  infants  were  foi'nd  among  the  great  company  that 
made  up  the  Yukon  flotilla  of  1898.  In  making  the  trip 
over  the  lakes  and  down  the  river  families  usually  pro- 
ceeded in  barges,  upon  a  portion  of  which  was  constructed 
a  permanent  tent,  thus  affording  the  maximum  amount  of 
comfort  and  convenience  attainable  during  a  voyage  of 
this  character. 

No.  90. 

A  Halt  by  the  Wayside^  En  Route  to  the  Kloiulikc.   , 

We  met  a  goodly  number  of  robust  young  fellows  who 
had  undertaken  this  journey  in  search  of  the  royal  metal, 
fully  prepared  t6  ovei'come  all  difficultien  and  to  get  the 
greatest  amount  of  enjoyment  and  comfort  possible  out  of 
the  tiip.  They  looked  on  the  bright  side  of  everything, 
worked  energetically  during  pleasant  weather  and  rested 
during  the  storms,  enjoyed  the  scenery,  swung  their  ham- 
mocks in  cozy  nooks,  ate  regular  aud  hearty  meals,  and 
whether  or  not  they  succeeded  in  securing  a  paying  claim 
in  the  gold  fields,  they  at  least  enjoyed  the  days  as  they 
passed,  and  their  experiences  en  route  to  and  through  the 
heart  of  Alaska  were  worth  to  them  all  the  time  and  effort 
required  in  their  accomplishment.  In  this  view  we  have 
represented  a  temporary  camp  occupied  by  two  young  men 
of  the  character  just  described,  and  while  one  is  enjoying 
a  short  siesta  in  his  hammock,  the  other  is  preparing  some 
dainty  morsel  of  food  as  a  surprise  for  his  sleeping  part- 
ner, and  a  reminder  of  the  goodie-goodies  in  the  old  home 
from  which  they  are  now  so  far  separated. 

When  the  adventurous  pilgrim  to  the  Yukon  had  climb- 
ed the  thousand  icy  steps  of  that  precipitous  stairway 
which  completes  the  ascent  to  the  summit  of  Chilkoot 
Pass,  he  had  reached  the  libs  which  not  only  divides  the  flow 
of  waters  and  the  domains  of  nations,  but  wl  6re  the  con- 
ditions, interests  and  ambition  of  the  people  appear  to 
chaoge.    The  busy  world,  the  mnrch  of  nations  and  the 


p^ 


iirpyiiiiiirijtuii 


11! 


!«l 


50 


A  TRIP  TO  THI  OOLD  rill.DI  Of  ALASKA 


fortunes  of  war  seemed  to  be  instinctively  confided  to  those 
who  remained  within  the  range  of  civilization  and  its  mar- 
velous facilities  for  transportation  and  communication. 
The  Yukoner  was  not  seeliing  the  glories  of  war,  but  the  glit- 
ter of  gold;  he  did  not  lack  patriotism,  but  the  facilities 
for  displaying  that  splendid  virtue  were  woefully  lacking. 
Battles  might  be  lost  or  won — he  could  not  change  their 
course,  he  did  not  even  know  the  result  for  daysandeven 
weekti  after  the  roar  of  the  grfeat  cannon  had  ceased  and 
the  dead  and  wounded  had  been  anxiously  numbered.  A 
few  papers  with  the  "latest  news"  reached  camp  at  irregu- 
lar intervals,  and  although  from  eight  to  ten  days  old  they 
were  eagerly  snapped  up  at  twenty-five  cents  each. 

Hence  it  was  that  the  Yukoner  accepted  with  more  or  less 
gratitude  whatever  news  he  could  obtain  from  home  and  the 
Hvar,  hut  his  energies  were  expended  in  the  construction  of  his 
boat;  his  affections  were  centered  upon  her  symmetry  and 
sailing  virtues,  and  his  ambition  and  hopes  carried  him  in 
his  day  dreams  to  a  far  off,  undiscovered*  country,  where 
there  are  nuggets  galore,  and  thence  back  to  a  home  of 
plenty  and  unalloyed  happiness. 

No.'gi. 
Going  Down  the  Yukon  by  Moonlight  to  Dawson  Qty. 

The  ice  disappeared  from  the  upper  lakes  during  the 
lattrr  part  of  May,  and  on  the  30th  of  that  month  the  first 
grand  section  of  the  Yukon  flotilla  set  sail  from  the  head- 
waters of  Lake  Bennett  bound  for  Dawson  and  the  Klon- 
dike. The  voyage  occupied  from  two  weeks  to  a  month, 
the  time  depending  much  upon  the  character  of  the  boat, 
the  weight  of  the  cargo  and  the  energy  of  the  crew.  At 
this  season  of  the  year  the  nights  are  very  brief  and  it  is 
possible  to  keep  the  boats  under  way  the  entire  twenty- 
four  hours. 

There  were  about  7,000  small  boats  that  made  the  trip 
down  the  Yukon  at  this  time,  carrying  approximately  20,- 
000  argonauts  and  7,000  tons  of  supplies.  Some  portions 
of  the  journey  were  especially  dangerous,  and  there  were 
frequent  furious  gales  on  the  lakes,  and  many  ugly  rocks 
and  dangerous  rapids  in  the  rivers  ;  b^t  notwithstanding 
these  conditions  it  is  remarkable  that  so  few  fatalities 
resuhed  among  this  eager  throng  of  voyagers. 


Q 


THROUGH  THK  ITERBOBCOPB. 


5» 


9d  to  thOM 
nd  iU  mar- 
lunicRtion. 
lut  the  glit- 
e  facllitiea 
ly  lacking, 
ange  their 
^8  and  even 
ceased  and 
ibered.  A 
p  at  irregu- 
ys  old  they 
ch. 

nore  or  less 
)me  and  the 
iction  of  his 
inietry  and 
ried  him  in 
itry,  where 
a  home  of 


kwion  Qty. 
)  during  the 
nth  the  first 
m  the  head- 
i  the  Klon- 
to  a  month, 
of  the  boat, 
e  crew.  At 
-ief  and  it  is 
itire  twenty- 

ade  the  trip 
imately  20,- 
>me  portions 
1  there  were 
'  ugly  rocks 
Arithstanding 
;ew  fatalities 


The  official  statiHtics  show  that  by  actual  count  40,000 
persona  reached  Dawson  during  the  year  entling  July  15. 
1H98.  It  is  fair  to  presume  that  30,000  others  started,  but 
for  various  reasons  did  not  complete  the  journey.  Five 
hundred  dollars  would  be  a  most  conservative  t^timate  of 
the  average  individual  outlay.  Thus  the  enormous  sum  of 
$30,000,000  was  invested  in  this  stampede.  To  this 
amount  we  may  add  $5,000,000  invested  in  vessels  for 
ocean  and  river  transportation,  making  a  total  investment 
of  $35,000,000.  Against  this  outlay  the  gold  output  dur- 
ing  the  same  period  is  variouitly  estimated  at  from  $8,000,- 
000  to  $1 3,000,000.  Out  of  7,000  claims  located  on  the 
Klondike  and  its  tributaries  only  about  300  have  [laid  to 
work.  The  cost  of  taking  supplies  to  the  mining  camps, 
the  great  amount  of  labor  neces.sary  and  the  high  rates 
paid  for  such  labor,  make  it  exceedingly  expensive  to  work 
a  claim.  One  must  be  extremely  rich  in  order  to  yield  a 
profit. 

No.  92. 

The  First  White  Man's  Cabin  at  Haines  Mission. 
Arriving  at  Dawson  the  fir  work  to  be  performed  by 
the  prospector  or  miner  is  to  construct  a  cabm  for  protec- 
tion agamst  the  fierce  arctic  winter  which  will  soon  be  upon 
him.  The  style  of  architecture  is  the  conventional  old  log 
cabin,  chinked  in  with  moss,  and  in  every  way  made  as 
impervious  to  wind  and  cold  as  is  possible.  The  structures 
are  usually  small  and  occupied  by  two  or  more  persons  as 
a  matter  of  economy  in  building,  and  for  mutual  assistance 
and  sociability. 

No.  93. 
Home  Comfort  in  a  Gold  Camp. 

The  interior  furnishings  of  a  cabin  are,  as  a  rille,  few  and 
crude  and  no  one  is  likely  to  ^nvy  the  miner  the  comfort 
he  may  find  in  such  a  habitalion.  On  the  Yukon  the  win- 
ters are  long  and  severe  and  dark,  and  the  greater  portion 
of  eight  tedious,  dreary  months  must  be  passed  within  the 
four  walls  of  the  cabin.  Communication  with  thu  outside 
world  iii  limited,  irregular  and  uncertain,  and  if  the  miner' 9 
efforts  during  the  past  summer  have  been  unsuccessful  he 
has  little  to  cheer  him  during  the  winter  .except  the  hope 
of  i>etter  luck  during  the  coming  season. 


m^ 


,_j,^. 


tWttMRMMiMMMia 


■\ 


$* 


A  TRIP  TO  THE  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA 


No.  94. 
The  Dying  Klondiker. 

If  the  stories  of  the  horrors,  tragedies  and  fatalities  of 
the  trails,  and  the  privations,  sufferings  and  death  which 
awaited  many  who  ventured  far  into  the  interior  could  be 
faithfully  narrated  they  would  fill  a  pretentious  volume. 
This  view  represents  the  death  bed  of  an  unfortunate  adven- 
turer. Encased  in  his  sleeping  bag  and  furs  he  finds  him- 
self alone  and  exhausted,  with  none  to  hear  his  cry  save 
proud,  cold  and  pitiless  Nature,  whose  irrevocable  laws 
exact  sore  sacrifices  in  the  waste  places  of  God's  universe. 

In  this  stampede  more  than  one  met  death  alone 
and  friendless,  and  if  there  is  a  sadder  hour  in  all  time  than 
the  hour  of  hopeless  and  friendless  death,  let  us  pray  that 
we  may  never  know  it.  • 

No.  95. 

Placer  Mining:  Near  the  Yukon  River* 

Having  endured  the  hardships  of  the  trails  and  passed 
the  dangers  of  the  lakes  and'  rivers,  the  Klondiker  has 
arrived  upon  the  gold  fields ;  but  there  are  weeks  and 
months  of  tedious  labor  and  many  trying  vicissitudes  inter- 
vening between  the  advent  to  the  gold  fields  and  the  realiza- 
tion of  a  fortune.  Having  constructed  a  cabin  and  cached 
his  supplies,  the  work  of  prospecting  begins.  The  miner 
selects  from  his  stores  such  provisions  and  implemei/s  as 
may  be  required  for  a  trip  of  a  few  days,  or  perchance  a 
month,  along  the  streams  and  in  the  hills.  Tests  for  "  col- 
ors ' '  of  the  precious  metal  are  made  in  every  ravine  and 
nook  of  the  mountains  where  there  are  the  slightest  indica- 
tions promising  a  lucky  find.  The  gold  pan  is  ever  ready, 
and  a  small  portion  of  the  gravel  is  carefully  washed  and 
the  results  noted  with  eager  interest.  It  often  happens 
that  weeks  go  by  witho't  the  discovery  of  gold  in  quanti- 
ties that  would  pay  for  the  labor  necessary  to  separate  it 
from  its  native  bed.  In  the  Klondike  the  actual  mining  is 
done  in  winter.  Wood  is  hauled  to  the  claim,  a  fire 
built,  and  inch  by  inch,  foot  by  foot,  thf.  shafts  are  sunk 
and  the  rich  gravel  brought  to  the  surface.  It  is  a  slow  and 
expensive  process.     No  cleaning  up  or  "sluicing"  is  done 


vir 


1 

.J. 


italities  of 
;ath  which 
r  could  be 
s  volume, 
ate  adven- 
finds  him- 
is  cry  sai'e 
cable  laws 
3  universe. 
;ath  alone 
1  time  than 
s  pray  that 


and  passed 
ndiker  has 
weeks  and 
udes  inter- 
:he  roahza- 
ind  cached 
The  miner 
)lemeK<-s  as 
lerchance  a 
s  for  "  col- 
ravine  and 
test  indica- 
jver  ready, 
vashed  and 
in  happens 
in  quanti- 
separate  it 
il  minii^  is 
lim,  a  fire 
ts  are  sunk 
i  a  slow  and 
ig"  is  done 


THROtrCH  THE  ST«.REOSCOl>t.  5J 

until  the  waters  begin  to  flow  late  in  the  spring,  snA  not 
until  then  is  the  luck  of  the  miner  determined. 

Prospecting  during  the  summer  is  not  a  joyous  under- 
taking by  any  means.  The  labor  necessary  to  pack  the 
tools  and  a  sufficient  quantity  of  supplies  over  the  hills  and 
across  the  marshes  has  a  tendency  to  relax  one's  energies 
and  seriously  impair  good  nature. 

In  considering:  the  ordinary  difficulties  of  a  prospecting 
tour  in  Alaska,  we  must  not  fail  to  include  the  mosquito 
pest.  Myriads  of  these  pesky  insects  spend  the  summer  in 
Alaska  ;  they  emerge  from  the  bark  of  firewood  in  the  win- 
ter, and  come  skating  down  the  glaciers  in  the  early  spring. 
The  Yukon  variety  has  no  conscience,  nothing  but  an 
appetite — a  thirst  for  gore.  Snow  and  frost  do  not  destroy 
them,  and  they  utilize  the  dense  fogs  as  an  ambush  from 
whence  to  pounce  upon  the  unwary  prospector.  It  is 
almost  impossible  to  move  about  the  trails  or  to  undertake 
any  kind  of  labor  during  the  summer  unless  thoroughly  pro- 
tected by  some  sort  of  mosquito  bar.  As  there  is  no  night 
on  the  Yukon  during  the  summer  season,  the  mosquito 
evidently  feels  that  it  is  not  proper  for  the  Klondiker  to 
sleep  while  the  sun  shines,  and  does  everything  in  its  power 
to  encourage  wakefulness.  Althougn  the  active  members 
of  this  host  of  tormenters  are  usually  small  their  bite  would 
do  credit  to  a  much  larger  beast. 

No.  96.         ' 

Gold  f/iktets  4t  Work. 

There  are  some  portions  of  Alaska  in  which  hydraulic 
mining  is  carried  on  to  advantage,  although  the  develop- 
ments in  this  line  are  still  in  their  inhmcy.  Of  course  all 
mining  of  this  character  must  be  undertaken  during  the 
suaimer  or  open  season. 

No.  97. 
Tranrfeir  Point  at  St.  ^chael,  en  rowte  to  Dawson. 

During  the  crusade  of  1898  there  were  thousands  who 
shrank  from  the  hardshipsi  and  dangers  of  the  trip  by  way 
of  the  Chilkoot  Pass,  the  lakes  and  upper  rivet,  and,  there- 
fore, contented  themselves  as  best  they  could  until  the  Arc- 
tic .winter  let  go  its  fr%id  grasp  on  Berihg  S&l  and  the 


^mi»*. ^.4 


( 
J. 


u 


A  TRtP  TO  tHE  dULD  tiUhUH  Of  AtnHlik 


lower  Yukon.  Scores  of  vessels  carrying  a  vast  multitude 
of  gold  seekers  and  thousands  of  tons  of  freight  left  San 
Francisco,  Portland  and  Seattle  in  time  to  reach  Bering  Sea 
at  the  moment  it  should  be  clear  of  ice,  and  no  time  was 
lost  in  pushing  forward  to  that  distant,  and  yet  well-known 
transfer  point,  St.  Michael. 

'  The  village  of  St.  Michael  is  located  upon  the  North- 
eastern portion  of  an  island  of  the  same  name,  and  is  one 
of  the  oldest  of  the  Russian  outposts  in  Alaska.  Here 
passengers  and  freight  are  transferred  from  the  ocean  ves- 
sels to  the  light  draft  river  steamers.  It  is  sixty  miles  from 
St.  Michael  to  the  northernmost  mouth  of  the  Yukon, 
through  which  a  majority  of  the  steamers  entered  the  river, 
but  inasmuch  as  the  waters  of  the  Bering  Sea,  adjacent  to 
the  Alaskan  coast  are  very  shallow,  and  there  is  no  harbor 
or  suitable  anchorage  nearer  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon,  it 
has  been  found  necessary  to  maintain  the  transfer  station  at 
St.  Michael.  The .  crusaders  of  1898  who  followed  this 
route  gave  the  litde  port  an  air  of  importance  and  thrift. 

No.yS. 
The  **  Dora  BImm**  at  the  Port  of  St.  Michael* 

The  two  oldest  transportation  companies  operating  on 
the  Yukon  are  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company  and  the 
North  American  Trading  and  Transportation  Company. 
They  are  located  on  the  litde  harbor  about  a  mile  from 
each  other  »nd  have  spacious  wharves  and  extensive  and 
commodious  warehouses.  These  great  companies  had 
their  warehouses  filled  with  supplies  for  the  upper  river, 
while  thousands  of  tons  were  piled  up  in  their  yards  and 
protected  by  expansive  tarpaulins.  At  the*  time  ol  our 
arrival  over  thirty  vessels  were  anchored  in  the  little  har- 
bor, and  hundreds  of  Klondikers  were  awaiting  transporta- 
tion up  the  river. 

In  this  view  we  have  a  panorama  of  the  harbor  of  St. 
Michad,  showing  a  portion  of  the  wharf  and  warehouses  of 
the  Alaska  Commercial  Company.  The  little  steamer  in 
the  foreground  is  the  "  May  West,"  which  was  the  first 
boat  to  reach  Dawson  when  the  river  opened  in  the  spring 
of  1898.  The  larger  steamer,  to  which  the  "  May  West ' 
is  moored,  is  the  "  Louise,"  a  new  and  powerful  tugboat, 


0 


r»  ^^-^ 


1 


THROUOH  THK  STEREOSCOPR. 


55 


which  was  constructed  during  tlie  winter  at  Unalaska,  and 
had  just  successfully  accomplished  the  trip  of  750  miles 
across  Bering  Sea  to  this  point.  In  the  immediate  fore- 
ground are  some  of  the  tents  of  the  miners  who  arc  making 
theriselves  as  comfortable  as  the  conditions  will  permit 
during  their  enforced  halt. 

In  this  harbor  there  were  several  little  steamers  owned 
and  manned  by  small  companies,  fitted  up  as  dre<i<'''s  and 
intended  to  prospect  the  beds  of  the  Yukon  and  ■  .^  tribu- 
taries. One  of  these  little  steamers  which  was  bound  for 
theKoyukuk  River,  had,  as  a  part  of  its  equipment,  a  "full 
blown ' '  brass  band,  which  discoursed  patriotic  airs  as  \te\l 
as  classic  selections,  while  the  "twilight  sun"  gilded  cliffs 
and  sky  and  sea  with  a  glorious  blending  of  most  exquisite 
tints. 

No.  99. 
Natives  of  Alaska. 

We  frequently  see  published  statements  to  the  effect 
that  the  abbrig^ines  are  rapidly  disappearing,  but  the  scene 
hare  depicted  contradicts  such  an  assertion.  The  ele  'tn 
youthful  Equimaux  who  make  up  the  little  company  in  the 
fore^ound  do  not  appear  to  be  dissatisfied  with  existing 
conditions,  nor  discouraged  at  future  prospects.  They  are 
fairly  well  clothed  and  evidently  have  not  recently  felt  the 
pangs  of  hunger.  Their  youthful  games  and  playthings 
are  simple  in  character,  but  these  little  people  extract  quite  as 
much  enjojrment  from  them  as  do  our  more  favored  children 
in  civilization,  surrounded  by  the  cbmforts  and  advantages 
of  the  modem  nursery  .and  kindeivarten.  The  little  Esqui- 
maux have  never  seen  a  kitten,  for  none  was  ever  in  that 
section  of  Alaska,  but  its  place  is  well  filled  by  the  baby 
Sinash  dog,  which  consists  chiefly  of  a  bundle  of  the  downi- 
est kind  of  fur,  bright  eyes  and  a  playful  disposition. 

In  the  background  is  a  representation  of  one  of  those 
native  sod  houses  which  servoi  as  a  habitation  for  the  pio- 
neer Russian  and  American,  as  well  as  for  the  more  ad- 
vanced ot  the  native  Esquimaux.  Many  of  these  Indii.ns 
now  live  in  tents,  and  iia'.e  otherwise  adopted  the  costumes 
and.  customs  of  Americans. 


J .  „. 


It;: 

■  1: 


il 


tffiriii 


j6  A  TRI'»  TO  THK  GOLD  FIELDS  OF  ALASKA. 

No.  lOO. 

Twilight— In  Gunp  »t  St.  Michaels. 

A  permanent  residence  at  St.  Michaeb  is  not  a  thing  to 
•  be  desired,  particularly  by  persons  of  a  sociable  disposi- 
tion, for  the  winters  are  long  and  dark  and  cold,  for  hun- 
dreds of  miles  in  every  direction  the  waters  are  locked  in 
their  fetters  of  ice,  and  from  September  until  the  following 
June  the  residents  of  this  little  island  are  almost  absolutely 
cut  off  from  communication  with  the  outside  world.  There 
is  litde  opportunity  for  divertisement  beyond  reading  and 
an  bccasional  hunt  with  d<^  teams  along  the  cos^t  or  to- 
ward the  interior.  The  summer  season,  however,  is  de- 
lightful, and  the  scenes  and  experiences  at  St.  Michael  wi8 
afford  many  fascinating  memories  to  those  tourists  who  are 
fortunate  enough  to  pass  this  way  during  the  open  season. 
The  nearness  of  this  locality  to  the  Arctic  Circle  giv«i  a 
maximum  of  sunshine  and  a  minimum  of  twilight  during 
June;  July  and  August.  Although  thp  island  is  entirely 
devoid  of  forests,  the  formation  is  rugged  and  broken,  giv- 
ing a  mountainous  effect  to  the  general  oudine,  and  at  twi- 
light the  sun  tints  upon  the  clouds  and  sea  and  landscape 
are  often  exquisite  beyond  description,  as  we  can  readily 
imagine  while  viewing  this  artistic  representation  of  a  twi- 
light scene  in  the  outskirts  of  the  village  of  St.  Michael 

•  The  argonauts  to  the  Yukon  have  endured  and  suffered^ — 
but  it  cannot  be  said  that  their  labors  and  sacrifi<:xs  have 
been  in  vain.  The  pioneer  seldom  realizes  the  best  fcul^ 
of  his  ambitions  and  efforts.  The  Pilgrim  Fathers  ventured 
and  suffered,  yet  they  yrere  not  permitted  to  antici|»te, 
even  vaguely,  the  magn' licence  of  the  power  and  civiUw- 
tion  which  the  nation  they  had  founded  would  achieve  ere 
the  close  of  the  nineteenth  century.  So  will  it  be  with 
Alaska.  Organized  capital  and  effort  will  develop  its  vast 
resources  and  reap  a  rich  reward.  The  argonauts  have 
blazed  a  way  to  the  interior ;  they  have  struggled  in  the 
midst  of  privation,  disappointment,  danger  and  death. 
Out  of  this  seething  crucible  of  human  toil  and  woe  the  cov- 
eted gold  will  come,  but  only  in  rare  instances  will  it  be 
the  portion  of  those  who  bore  the  heat  and  burden  of  the 
day. 


BMSOBi 


_^_.„l 


'■  '\l 


■./-—-- 


